We’re casting a light on the whole industry. A publishing partner is going to be able to see how the toy sales are going and how the ed-tech licensing deals are going and how the video game sales are going. They can adjust their product offering because of that transparency.

Rana DiOrioImagine a digital ledger that is permanent and irreversible, and you will begin to understand why blockchain promises so much for the online world. With blockchain, transparency and certainty are guaranteed for every e-transaction. The platform that underlines bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, blockchain is already taking up a role in supply chain management, music licensing, and even health care record-keeping. Blockchain enthusiasts expect publishing will soon follow.

Not only the future of the internet may come to rely on blockchain, but also the future of civilization. At least that’s the lofty dream of publisher and entrepreneur Rana DiOrio, co-founder and CEO of Creative Mint. Blockchain, she says, will bring visibility to the creative supply chain that will ensure fair treatment for authors, artists, and other creators. In fact, DiOrio believes blockchain will put in practice a digital version of the golden rule.

“Rights transactions happen for creative works in myriad ways. You have your book deal, and then you have your video deal and you have your ed-tech licensing deal or your video game deal or your merchandising deal. All those deals can be committed to smart contracts that then reside in a blockchain for all to see, so there’s checks and balances built into the system,” DiOrio recently told CCC’s Chris Kenneally.

“My background is a lawyer, and in my contracts class, our professor said sunlight is the best disinfectant,” she explained. “What we’re doing is we’re casting a light on the whole industry. Imagine – all of our partners are going to be able to see with great degree of granularity all of the numbers for a brand. A publishing partner is going to be able to see how the toy sales are going and how the ed-tech licensing deals are going and how the video game sales are going, and they can adjust their product offering because of that.”

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