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“Creating a potentially
pristine access and
usage record that is also
publicly visible is the core
purpose of blockchain
and makes a lot of sense
when applied to content
rights and royalties.” -
Ed Finegold, Netcracker
Technology
platform. The best thing about blockchain is
the link it provides between the content owner
and collecting their money. Collecting and
distributing royalties will be automated based
on smart contracts which will remove conflicts
and capitalise on exact knowledge (e.g. the
monetisation of re-runs will be trustworthy
and transparent.) This will be achieved in real
time, so the rights owner won’t have to wait for
Anti-piracy blockchain
prototype test success
Cloud-based video experience solutions
provider Linius Technologies has successfully
tested what it claims is the world’s first
video blockchain, opening new distribution,
protection and monetisation possibilities to the
global video industry.
By applying its video virtualisation
technology, Linius successfully used smart
contracts to control and transact video as a
digital asset within blockchain – for the first
time. According to Chris Richardson, Linius
CEO, the breakthrough has the ability to
solve video piracy as we know it today. “With
virtual video embedded within each block of
the blockchain, smart contracts can be used
to control the transactions associated with
video files,” he advised. “For the first time,
content owners – such as movie studios – can
have complete control and visibility over video
distribution and access. Video assets and
viewers can be validated prior to playing the
video, eliminating improper play out of the
video.”
“This is particularly exciting, because it
demonstrates that the protective power of
blockchain can be applied directly to video
– just as it is to cryptocurrency today – to
effectively address the world’s multi-billion-
dollar piracy problem.”
In addition to secure content distribution,
Richardson suggests that video blockchain
would facilitate superior monetisation of video
content, enabling built-in payment gateways,
automated royalty payments, and even peer-
to-peer transactions. “Linius feels this is the
18 EUROMEDIA
their payment.”
“Blockchain
can effectively
ensure the content
creators get what
they deserve,”
asserts Michalko.
“A decentralised
network allows for
direct payments
from a consumer to
a content producer,
eliminating
intermediaries who charge commissions of
up to 70 per cent and settling the transaction
almost instantly instead of waiting for the
money for many months, or even half a year,
which is often the case. Blockchain gives
content creators, such as film producers,
complete control to set their own prices for
their works, and without intermediaries taking
large fees or commissions, the prices would
benefit both customers and producers alike.”
“If a blockchain-enabled system were used
throughout the video lifecycle, this is possible,”
says Carlson. “Upon viewing of content, tokens
of payment could flow around the ecosystem
with the benefit of immediate settlement.”
“No, Blockchain alone cannot,” states
Russo. “Blockchain inherently, if deployed
and utilised correctly, can assure information
validation. However, the ecosystem requires
the addition of secure transmission as data
moves onto the Blockchain and off the
Blockchain. In addition, access and control
of the distributed data requires additional
security, tracking and permissions, for
there to be a total package to achieve the
goal of maximising revenue generation and
distribution to those entitled to receive it. An
unassailable technology, such as MTE is truly a
requirement to answer this challenge.”
“Blockchain may be able to do that, but
I don’t think it is the best tool for many
natural evolution of its anti-piracy strategy, and
the virtual video into the blockchain,
will use blockchain to protect, distribute as well
executed the smart contract transaction
as monetise the video itself,” says Richardson.
(with associated mining), and successfully
“It’s now possible for all
retrieved a copy of the
video stakeholders to
virtual video based on the
have an auditable trail
criteria of the contract
of how many times a
l That retrieved virtual
video is played, and be
video was then validated
instantly compensated
with ISOviewer
at the time of play, based
The successful prototype
on digital contracts.”
test follows Linius’s
“With the ability
December 2017
for content owners and
announcement of its
studios to distribute and
intentions to deliver
monetise content with
the world’s first video
guaranteed tracking
blockchain, coinciding
and royalty payments,
with the publication
including enabling paid
of its video blockchain
“As demand for
consumer-to-consumer
strategy.
more granular rights
content sharing, the
Linius’s patented
Linius Video Blockchain increase, blockchain will Video Virtualization
is set to transform
Engine (VVE) makes
be even more vital for
the entire world of
video blockchain possible
proficiency with sales
video production
by breaking-down video
transactions, tracking
and distribution,” he
into small blocks of data,
and reporting.” – Chris
declared.
creating virtual video
The details of the
files. A fraction of a per
Richardson, Linius
successful test are as
cent of the original video
follows:
file size, virtual video
l Linius virtualised several videos of
files can be easily transferred and managed
different sizes, stored in the cloud on
by blockchain.
Amazon S3
“With traditional video, a blockchain
l On a private instance of Ethereum
would be impossibly big,” says Richardson.
(a world-leading, blockchain-based
“And, the Internet standard video format
distributed computing platform), Linius
MP4 does not work in blockchain. Virtual
generated a smart contract to control
videos, however, are ideally suited to digital
transactions against the virtual video
assets, which can be recorded, transferred
l Linius then successfully uploaded
and managed by a blockchain,” he notes.