New pending patent applications are published on Thursdays. This week's Spotlight Applications concern aspects of blockchain (distributed ledger, smart contracts) and digital rights management broadly construed. Assigned to eBay, the first of this week's applications discloses techniques for the secure management of content distribution data blocks on a blockchain. Assigned to IBM, the second application discloses techniques for converting processes into multiple blockchain smart contracts.
20190207995, "Secure management of content distribution data blocks on a blockchain," assigned to eBay.
Abstract
Technologies are shown for content distribution on a blockchain involving generating a content distribution data block on a content distribution data blockchain, that stores digital content, data identifying the digital content, an owner identifier, an access holder identifier, and a use conditions attribute for identifying use requirements for the digital content. A use requirement is defined in the use conditions attribute. An owner identified in the owner identifier sets the access holder identifier to an identifier for a user entity. An access request is received from the user entity and, in response, whether a current use condition of the user entity satisfies the use requirement in the use conditions attribute is verified. If it is verified that the current use condition of the user entity satisfies the use requirement in the use conditions attribute, the digital content is distributed to the first user entity.
20190205884, "Converting processes into multiple blockchain smart contracts," assigned to IBM.
Abstract
An example operation may include one or more of identifying a workflow specification including a number of entities and state elements, selecting two or more entities designated as a subset of entities among the entities, where the subset of entities share one or more of the state elements of the workflow specification among the state elements, and creating a first smart contract identifying the one or more state elements.
