#Blockchain and #intellectualproperty high level overview. Covers current landscape, but also where smart contracts may take #IP management, and change the way we value/use IP.

1. Blockchain and
Intellectual Property
Presenter: Nelson M. Rosario, Attorney - Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP,
Adjunct Professor - IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Date: 3/30/2018
Location: Ice Miller, Computational Law + Blockchain Festival, Chicago Node

2. Two key takeaways for today:
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3. Two key takeaways for today:
1) Intellectual property is not going to destroy
blockchain innovation
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4. Two key takeaways for today:
1) Intellectual property is not going to destroy
blockchain innovation
1) Blockchain will change how we manage
intellectual property
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5. I thought all this stuff was about
magic internet money?
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6. Not all of it
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7. What is Blockchain?
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8. What is Blockchain?
● No industry standard definition
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9. Useful shorthand definition of Blockchain
● A shared ledger containing transaction
information that is hard to alter
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10. These shared ledgers can have some
interesting properties
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11. These shared ledgers can have some
interesting properties
1) Produce unique digital property without a central
issuer: i.e. bitcoin
1) Change the way we manage trust
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12. Before we talk about what we can do
because of these properties....
Let’s talk about patents….
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13. Patents make some people anxious
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15. We’re a long way from any patent wars
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https://www.pcworld.com/article/2461940/apple-
samsung-agree-to-settle-patent-disputes-outside-us.html

16. US Patent Filings that we know of
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17. Attorney’s Fees for Drafting Blockchain Patents
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18. Time and money is being spent
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20. I thought all of this was open source?
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21. Let’s return to that….
Let’s talk about how Blockchain will
change how we manage intellectual
property….
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22. These shared ledgers can have some
interesting properties
2) Change the way we manage trust
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23. If we have a shared ledger that produces
unique digital property what can you do?
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24. Unique digital property helps with:
1. Information provenance
2. Brand and content management
3. Smart IP
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25. 1. Information provenance
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● Prove you own information stored on a
blockchain
○ Ownership and control
○ Think of registrations of IP
● Show first use of a product or brand
○ Think of trademarks

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27. Ascribe
● Helping artists and others protect their creative work
● Uses blockchain technology
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29. Everledger
● Tracks diamonds using blockchain technology
● Helps to cut down the trade of conflict diamonds
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30. 2. Brand and content management
● Supply chains are a source of fraud and counterfeits for brands
● Blockchain technology may provides visibility into supply chains
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32. Notice the phone and QR code?
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33. Scanners +
Internet of Things +
Blockchain =
Better supply chain outcomes
Stronger brands
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34. 3. Smart IP?
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35. What if you didn’t have to negotiate
every IP license?
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36. What if you could publicly state the terms
and automatically get paid for licenses?
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37. Blockchain + Smart contracts +
IP information
=
Smart IP
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38. Yes, but isn’t this all open source?
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39. Yes, but….
We’ve seen this story before….
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40. The early-Internet in 1971
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http://www.policy.hu/inetclass/arpaNet.html

41. The Internet started with and runs on
open protocols....
Everything built after that….
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42. Blockchain started with and runs on
open protocols….
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43. Thank you!
Nelson M. Rosario | Associate - Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP |
Adjunct Professor - IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Firm: nrosario@marshallip.com
Twitter: @NelsonMRosario
Blog: www.lawofcryptocurrency.com | nelson@lawofcryptocurrency.com
Personal: www.nelsonmrosario.com
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