A copyright platform for the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure

Purpose and goal

The goal to develop a copyright platform compatible with the European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) is met. The demonstrator goals are partially met. Completely met goals are: 1) an audit trail and record keeping service, 2) the use of linked data, 3) EBSI compatibility. We could not leverage coala.ip since that project was cancelled. Instead, we relied on the same foundation as did coala.ip. We only managed to develop automatic validation for a single license type and did not have time to generalize the validation process.

Expected results and effects

RISE has successfully hosted Sweden´s EBSI node in Luleå. The project work has actively considered EBSI compatibility. This includes using solidity for smart contracts and IPFS for storage as well as designing the solution with the EBSI APIs and capabilities in mind. The project has successfully demonstrated how linked data can be used to secure verifiable copyright information and claims. A key result is that EBSI is well suited for storing copyright information in cases where a digital trace of the creation process is easy to secure (eg. using git commits in software development).

Planned approach and implementation

RISE has focused on the analysis, examination, and initiation of the EBSI node. RISE´s work also included integrating decentralized file systems (i.e., IPFS) with Besu (the Ethereum based blockchain running on EBSI). Omegapoint has focused on actual implementation and platform development. The above work division and separation of tasks have worked well. The periods of uncertainty (e.g., related to the EBSI specifications) have, however, been challenging when trying to balance the need for clear development goals and maintaining a degree of flexibility.