<p>If expressing the (artistic) work in any kind of document (be it sheets, photos or audio/video recording) is good enough, then you can use something called <a href="/questions/19038/are-there-any-non-monetary-uses-for-the-blockchain-or-the-bitcoin-protocol-gene/19041#19041">proof of existence</a>. This simple method allows you to store a hash of any document into the Blockchain, thus proving it existed at the time when a particular block was mined.</p>

<p>You can indlude the <strong>autor's name</strong> (or other identifier) into the document, making it clear that he (at least) knew about it back then. If nobody proves the possesion/familiarity with that particular file/work dated before, the author should be able to claim his rights.</p>

<p>One (perhaps the first) proof-of-existence service is <a href="http://www.proofofexistence.com/" rel="noreferrer">proofofexistence.com</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T20:25:39.937Z
Mmmh, so there was already a possibility there, but don't seems so popular, I have been in the Crypto-world for a long time and never heard about that. Maybe I will try to promote it or create similar improved system. Thanks for the info
lordscales91
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-02-23T17:48:05.443Z
There is now a service called [ascribe](http://www.ascribe.io). It combines blockchain hashes for verification with a website for browsing.
sdgfsdh
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T19:27:17.830Z
2014-10-23T19:27:17.830Z
knaperek
<p>I want to to create some kind of Proof-of-Authorship mechanism, that's something that many artists had asked before: <a href="http://ask.metafilter.com/96453/how-can-I-prove-authorship-of-my-work" rel="nofollow">How can I prove authorship of my work</a> </p>

<p>To accomplish my objective I need to deal with 2 problems: </p>

<ul>
<li>first, how to precisely and uniquely define a work, and </li>
<li>second, use something like a public ledger to store and validate that information.</li>
</ul>

<p>I will think about first later; it's a very complex problem; I want to know if I could use the blockchain for the second one. (If you can give me some suggestions for the first problem they will be appreciated too.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-10-23T19:26:24.930Z
It already exists: http://www.proofofexistence.com/
Nick ODell
<blockchain>
How to exploit the possibilites of blockchain for proof of authorship?
lordscales91
# How to exploit the possibilites of blockchain for proof of authorship?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-10-23)

I want to to create some kind of Proof-of-Authorship mechanism, that's something that many artists had asked before: [How can I prove authorship of my work](http://ask.metafilter.com/96453/how-can-I-prove-authorship-of-my-work)

To accomplish my objective I need to deal with 2 problems:

* first, how to precisely and uniquely define a work, and
* second, use something like a public ledger to store and validate that information.

I will think about first later; it's a very complex problem; I want to know if I could use the blockchain for the second one. (If you can give me some suggestions for the first problem they will be appreciated too.)

**Tags:** blockchain

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: It already exists: http://www.proofofexistence.com/  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-10-23. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

If expressing the (artistic) work in any kind of document (be it sheets, photos or audio/video recording) is good enough, then you can use something called [proof of existence](/questions/19038/are-there-any-non-monetary-uses-for-the-blockchain-or-the-bitcoin-protocol-gene/19041#19041). This simple method allows you to store a hash of any document into the Blockchain, thus proving it existed at the time when a particular block was mined.

You can indlude the **autor's name** (or other identifier) into the document, making it clear that he (at least) knew about it back then. If nobody proves the possesion/familiarity with that particular file/work dated before, the author should be able to claim his rights.

One (perhaps the first) proof-of-existence service is [proofofexistence.com](http://www.proofofexistence.com/).

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Mmmh, so there was already a possibility there, but don't seems so popular, I have been in the Crypto-world for a long time and never heard about that. Maybe I will try to promote it or create similar improved system. Thanks for the info  
> **username_3**: There is now a service called [ascribe](http://www.ascribe.io). It combines blockchain hashes for verification with a website for browsing.  

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