Scenarex launched the beta of Bookchain®, a blockchain publishing platform, at at the Digital Book World this week.
Bookchain® is described by them as, ” an innovative solution, built on blockchain, that allows authors and publishers to configure the security, traceability, attribution, and distribution settings (including lending and reselling) of a digital document. While protecting and securing the digital documents against theft and piracy, our solution lets readers access the files from any device with a web browser, without being locked into a specific ecosystem.”
Working from a web platform, e-books are uploaded into the system, and the publisher can control various settings regarding distribution and publishing through a smart contract. Settings include the control of selling and lending books, metadata for the file, a direct interface to an ISBN database, and managing the distribution of royalties.
The smart contract provides the security to maintain the integrity of the the file (the book), preventing illegal copying or hacking. Because of the freedom of file types that may be uploaded, this may become a strong option for indie publishers and authors who want to assure secure distribution of materials containing not only text, but visuals and artwork (such as graphic novels) that might be otherwise hackable or copied and distributed without the copyright owner’s permission.
The product and service does not rely on cryptocurrency transactions, making the interaction more easily accessible across the internet for the typical internet user.
More info on Scenarex can be found at www.scenarex.ca
, while the website for the beta of Bookchain® iswww.bookchain.ca.
