Smart Contracts and Blockchain Applications for Intellectual Property Management and Protection

The rapid developments of blockchain technology open up new possibilities for various industries, including intellectual property management and protection. Smart contracts, as featural extensions powered by blockchain, provide a decentralized and immutable framework that can revolutionize the management of intellectual property assets. This Research Topic explores the applications, challenges, and potential of smart contracts and blockchain technologies in intellectual property rights management and protection. The objective of this special collection is to provide valuable insights into blockchains and smart contracts by showcasing practical applications, addressing technical challenges, and discussing legal and regulatory issues.

The overarching goal of this Research Topic is to advance the state of the art in leveraging blockchain and smart contract capabilities for intellectual property management and protection. Through this article collection, the aim is to catalyze innovative research and development exploring the intersection of blockchain, smart contracts, and intellectual property rights.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Smart contracts for IP licensing and royalty distribution
- Blockchain-based digital rights management systems
- Decentralized IP registration and authentication using blockchain
- Blockchain-enabled IP tracking and provenance
- Tokenization of IP assets and fractional ownership
- Smart contract automation for IP enforcement and dispute resolution
- Privacy and security considerations in blockchain-based IP systems
- Interoperability of blockchain networks for cross-border IP transactions
- Regulatory and legal implications of blockchain-based IP management
- Case studies and real-world implementations of smart contracts in IP domains

Keywords: blockchain, smart contracts, intellectual property, tokenization, innovation, commercialization

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.