Smart contracts, (blockchains, distributed ledgers) and rights management broadly construed are the themes of today's Spotlight Patents. Assigned to Nokia (FI), the first patent addresses techniques for changing smart contracts recorded in block chains. Assigned to Mythical Games, the second patent addresses techniques for supporting different player types in a franchise game based on ownership of unique digital articles.
11611445, “Changing smart contracts recorded in block chains,” assigned to Nokia Technologies Oy (FI)
Abstract
A technique, comprising: identifying, at a node forming part of a group of nodes operating a distributed ledger comprising a block chain, a decision to retrospectively change a first smart contract prescribing one or more changes in the ledger already recorded in one or more existing blocks of the blockchain; and, without changing any existing blocks of the blockchain, updating the ledger by adding to the current end of the blockchain a new block indicating a new state of the ledger determined by a re-execution of all operations, according to the first smart contract and one or more other smart contracts, recorded in one or more blocks of the blockchain after a block recording an operation of the first smart contract, while taking into account the change to the first smart contract.
11607618, “Systems and methods for supporting different player types in a franchise game based on ownership of unique digital articles,” assigned to Mythical, Inc.
Abstract
Systems and methods to support different player types in a franchise game based on ownership of unique digital articles are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may execute an instance of a franchise game, the different player types including a first player type and a second player type providing access to different utilities; receive and perform in-game action instructions from players having different player types, wherein different in-game action instructions fall within different sets of utilities; receive exchange instructions from a particular player having the first player type to obtain a particular affiliation-specific unique digital article; modify the player account for the particular player such that the particular player no longer has the first player type but rather the second player type; receive and perform a particular in-game action instruction from the particular player by virtue of the particular player having the second player type; and/or other steps.
