Startups

Band Name Vault allows bands to record name on a blockchain & search database; potentially mitigates risk of TM infringement & supplements rights enforcement

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Source: A Journal of Musical Things. Date: 10.23.2016.

Similarly to my post about Veredictum, I think Band Name Vault provides an enforcement mechanism that could be used as evidence in a trademark infringement case – depending on how well that evidence holds up in court.

What interests me from a technical perspective is how Brand Name Vault has accomplished the query function. Ability to query data stored on a blockchain continues to be a challenge because hashes are not very easy for humans to remember or understand (but machines love ’em!). If Brand Name Vault has cracked that nut, that’s an interesting development.

They claim to be the largest database of bands in the world, which is advantageous from a business perspective since their value proposition depends on how well they leverage the network effect. On the other hand, while their U/I is a lot prettier than the USPTO’s trademark search database, their service does not provide the same rights as one receives when registering their trademark with the USPTO.

The founder, Barney Wragg, is a former EMI, UMG, and Really Useful Music Group exec.

Veredictum provides blockchain-based proof-of-ownership for manuscripts; eyes cryptographically secure distribution

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Primary source: ZDnet 08.19.2016. Secondary source: Econotimes 08.19.2016.

Sydney-based startup, Veredictum, is providing proof-of-ownership for scripts by storing a hash of the file on a blockchain. (If you aren’t familiar with hashes, I explain them here). While it does not provide a comprehensive solution to idea theft, Veredictum could provide compelling proof in litigation because it records who opened a script and when on a blockchain.

Idea theft is a niche area of law related to copyright that was largely developed by Hollywood cases, from Blaustein v. Burton to Forest Park Pictures v. Universal. These are also known as “idea submissions” cases.

The typical case involves a starving writer seeking her big break in Hollywood who pitches her latest and greatest to a studio. The studio passes, but later produces a series or picture that sounds a lot like that writer’s idea. Enter: lawsuit. The writer might argue her idea was copyrighted and therefore the studio infringed her copyright, as in Forest Park, or that the studio entered an implied contract to pay for her idea if they produced it, as in Blaustein.

Under a copyright theory, proof that the studio opened the script could be quite helpful because one of the things a plaintiff has to prove is copying-in-fact; that is, the person they are suing actually copied their work. Of course, it remains to be seen whether blockchain-based evidence will hold up in court.

On the distribution front, Veredictum CEO Tim Lea alludes to creating a peer-to-peer network for video, where each video is watermarked with the information about it that company recorded on a blockchain. It will be interesting to see how it shapes up – and what blockchain they are using.

 

 

Revelator, startup with a cloud-based platform for music licensing, distribution, and analytics, raises $2.5M Series A

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SOURCE: TechCrunch DATE: 8.29.16. SECONDARY SOURCE: CryptoCoinsNews.

Exigent Capital led the round. Digital Currency Group and Israeli early-stage fund Reinvent also participated.

From my research, it is not clear exactly how Revelator is using a blockchain; however, it is clear they are interested in furthering the aims that blockchain-based initiatives are driving, including increased transparency, efficiency, and automation.

And, they’ve got public radio excited about blockchains. Woot, woot!