China to use blockchain technology to fight piracy

ZhongAn Technology Makes Efforts To Protect Media Companies using Blockchain

A subsidiary of the Chinese online insurer, ZhongAn, ZhongAn Technology, files a patent for protecting media companies with blockchain technology.

ZhongAn Technology, in a bid to protect the intellectual property rights of media companies, has filed a patent for using blockchain solutions to this end. This is no surprise considering the ever increasing rate of illicit file sharing and piracy in the industry.

The filing was published on Tuesday by the Intellectual Property Office of China State. The system is meant to prevent illegal distribution of content (digital content) by using blockchain technology to identify the content sharer.

The application states:

“Thanks to the rapid development of the internet, illegal distribution of content has become easier than it used to be. Digital content such as music, movies, etc., can be distributed without authorization at a moments notice. Even though it’s difficult to stop others from stealing content, this technology can be used to determine the original owner of the content after it has been stolen and copied. This makes initiating unauthorized sharing easy.”

How The Technology Works

When content is purchased, the blockchain by ZhongAn Technology will create a unique hash by linking the data to the buyer’s ID. The hash will be stored in the blockchain for reference purposes.

If the content is subsequently found on the internet, and it is difficult to initiate unauthorized sharing, the system will upload the same data and compare it to the previous data that was stored on the blockchain. If a match is found, the system will reveal the ID of the buyer who violated the licensing agreement.

Founded in the year 2016, ZhongAn Technology focuses on the development of new technologies and how they can be used to provide outsourcing solutions for businesses.

Although the filing is yet to be approved, it signals that ZhongAn has a sharp focus on blockchain technology.