what is blockchain?
critical inquiry into...
- what does the tech enable us to do?
- who are the stakeholders shaping the development, and adoption?
- what are stakeholders' expectations, what are their incentives to participate?
- what is the new balance of power between old and new stakeholders?
Blockchain & copyright
symposium
what does blockchain enable us to do?
incentives to participate
who are the stakeholders shaping the development,
and adoption?
balance of power
- artificial scarcity on a digital platform
- tokenization of things:
- works
- rights/licenses
- remuneration
- automated transactions via self-enforcing smart contracts
- reliable transaction records without any trusted intermediary
- everyone: bubble? hype? herd behavior?
- consumers: fairness? transparency? autonomy? cost/benefit? (smart licenses may create revenue opportunities for cheerleaders)
- creators: transparency? autonomy? less dependence on intermediaries? cost/benefit?
- CMOs: maintain position? prevent disruption? increase efficiency? cut costs?
- startup innovators: capture market? bypass current intermediaries? create new bottlenecks?
- regulators: maintain the ability to regulate? enforce fundamental rights? increase social welfare?
- tech companies/investors: sell tech to clueless customers?
- right holders + works + users
- investors
- developers
- regulators
- incumbent digital intermediaries (YouTube, Netflix, etc.)
- providers of blockchain infrastructure
- hype-sters
- rearrangement of old relationships
- finding your place in new ones
revolution
- open source software
- open (non-permissioned) blockchain
- open developer community
- charismatic meritocracy
- decentralized infrastructure with unforeseen bottlenecks
- open playing field tilted towards the tech savvy
- high disruptive potential
assuming blockchain technology automagically does what we expect it to do:
evolution
what do we want it to do?
- proprietary software
- closed (permissioned) blockchain
- proprietary technology
- bureaucratic control
- centralized infrastructure
- walled gardens with new intermediaries
- low disrutive potential