Blockchain and its link with the right of Intellectual Property
Blockchain is a system by which secure transactions between people around the world can be carried out without the need for intermediaries, functioning as a decentralized entity. Blockchains can only be updated with the consent of the majority of the system’s participants, which are called nodes and which are specifically a computer ready for these transactions. It can be assimilated to a set of notes which are located in a shared online database in which the operations, quantities, dates and participants are registered by means of codes. Blockchain bases the certification of information on consensus, if we all have the same information, it means that this information is true and is verified by the system. This information can never be deleted or modified, so the blockchain is presented as an unalterable and permanent record. By using cryptographic keys and being distributed by many computers (people) it has security advantages against manipulation and fraud.
The protection of community interests
The link between blockchains and intellectual property rights gave rise to databases such as IPCHAIN, where the interests of users are efficiently protected, this database seeks to protect the creations of artists, researchers, inventors and companies (including inventions, literary works, original artistic works, and scientific research, among others). The IPCHAIN database is based on the decentralized Blockchain technology as we saw in the previous point. It should be noted that this database provides users with various forms and tools to share information related to Intellectual Property, in a secure manner, having the possibility of uploading confidential files. This transforms the IPCHAIN into an unalterable digital ledger and brings the ideal solution to establish proof of first authorship through defensive publication, as well as exchange and transfer of intellectual property. Thanks to the security of the platform and compliance with WIPO standards, IPCHAIN publications are a reliable source of proof of the rights of the inventor to his work, which can be used in legal proceedings and will be accepted as proof of the status of the art by international patent offices. Leading IP authorities and stakeholders support IPCHAIN, including the world’s largest Intellectual Property law firm (Dennemeyer Group), WIPO Green (a division of WIPO, the World Intellectual Property Organization), universities leaders and research organizations.
Application in the world of intellectual property
Intellectual property is the protection that the law gives to the author of a scientific, literary, artistic or didactic work for its intellectual creation. Blockchain technology aroused great interest in many sectors thanks to its possible uses and application in different spheres of intellectual property. Beyond its well-known use in the world of cryptocurrencies or rather in the financial field, it is also being used to follow the evolution of products in supply chains, such as the pharmaceutical, automotive and consumer goods industries, where it is important that there is a follow-up of the products to avoid their counterfeiting. This technology can be used for multiple applications, such as smart contracts and signatures, cryptocurrencies, medical records, voting systems, logistics supply chains, data registration and verification, among many others.
Conclusion
Considering the above, it is clearly seen how the blockchain system is a great contribution to meet the needs of the intellectual property system. Copyright protection gives security to inventors, which, when stored in this system, are difficult to violate or alter.
Notwithstanding this, this system also has certain grays in terms of security, size, network, speed, growth rates and transaction fees. A lack of regulation can be observed, an internationally supported normative deficiency that is essential to support or protect the author of a scientific, literary, artistic or didactic work for its intellectual creation in the blockchain system.
https://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/es/2018/01/article_0005.html
Maria Florencia Gutierrez – Paralegal.
PI Legal Department.