New pending patent applications are published on Thursdays by the USPTO. This week's Spotlight Applications continue the theme of blockchains (distributed ledgers, smart contracts) and rights management broadly construed. Assigned to Intertrust, the first application discloses techniques for facilitating the secure recording of assertions made by entities tied to identities. Assigned to Monegraph, the second application discloses techniques for rights transfers using block chain transactions.
20190363882, "Cryptographic systems and methods using distributed ledgers," assigned to Intertrust.
Abstract
The disclosure relates to, among other things, systems and methods for facilitating the secure recording of assertions made by entities tied to identities. Embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods may allow users to make non-revocable, difficult to forge, cryptographic assertions tied to their identities through the posting of entries in an immutable ledger. In certain embodiments, a user's cryptographic assertions may be preceded by ledger entries which feature certificates from trusted authorities that tie the keys used for making assertions to the user's identity. Further embodiments provide for a mechanism for disabling further entries posted under a user's key, either automatically or at the user's initiation.
20190362443, "Rights transfers using block chain transactions," assigned to Monegraph, Inc.
Abstract
Systems and methods for managing media, such as digital content, using block chain technology are described. In some embodiments, the systems and methods perform multiple digital currency transfers between address nodes to register a collection of rights to a digital content item to a block chain, and perform a digital currency transfer transaction between address nodes to register the collection of rights to the block chain.
