The software company is now relying on blockchain to stop piracy. Blockchain gives us the transparency we need to know for sure that you’re using authentic software.”
Windows OS and Office are always high up on software piracy platforms. That’s why Microsoft, the developer of both products, spends a lot of time trying to stop piracy from happening.
Also read: New Study Found that Ether Is Getting More Appealing to Investors in Singapore
In a new paper, Microsoft, along with researchers from Alibaba and Carnegie Mellon University, looked at implementing blockchain-based incentives for the purpose of combating content piracy. The system would work by rewarding people for their contributions.
Microsoft’s new research offers a fully transparent system for anti-piracy campaigns, and it does this by harnessing blockchain technology. Argus is a project built on the Ethereum blockchain that gives an incentive mechanism for people to share their data anonymously of piracy incidents with other pirates.
This paper argues that data systems should be decentralized to avoid issues with security. The authors discuss how this is done in their implementation of the system, which they believe is more secure because it operates on a transparent level.
Argus can help you backtrack pirated content to the original source, and it uses a watermarking algorithm to do this. This is detailed in their paper. Leaks are also known as “proof of leakage,” and each one requires an information-hiding procedure. This way, only the informer can report on a watermarked copy without ever actually owning it themselves.
The system also has features to make it unprofitable for the informer to report the same leaked content over and over again, through reusing different aliases. Argus should make for an effective antipiracy campaign say, authors. They propose that Argus shifting to a ‘fully transparent incentive mechanism’ will provide a more secure and practical service for the public.
It is becoming very common for tech companies to invest a lot of resources in safeguarding their intellectual property rights and fighting online piracy. As Cointelegraph previously reported, Tech Mahindra, an IT subsidiary of the Indian company Mahindra Group, has launched a new blockchain-based digital contracts and rights platform on IBM’s Hyperledger Fabric protocol for the media & entertainment industry.
Disclaimer: The above references an opinion and is for information purposes only. It is not intended to be investment advice. Seek a duly licensed professional for investment advice.