JAAK works with Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on Image and Film Initiative

27 November 2018 - Press release

●  Working group to explore opportunities in Public Domain, Out of Copyright, and Orphan works

●  Collaborators include the British Film Institute (BFI), Design and Artists Copyright Society (DACS), British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies (BAPLA), and Federation of Commercial Audiovisual Libraries (FOCAL)

Blockchain rights company, JAAK, is working with the Intellectual Property Office and leading audio-visual and image organisations to investigate how blockchain technology can improve the availability of Public Domain works and processes surrounding Orphan work definition. The initiative will focus on the film and image industries in the UK.

Public Domain works include works which were never copyrighted or where the work has been offered to the public by the creator. Out of Copyright works are those whose copyright protection has ended, but which may have related copyright and are licensable by custodians of those works. Often it can be very difficult to locate high-quality sources of these materials - offering simpler ways of searching for works will encourage their wider use in creative and artistic innovation.

This working group, which includes the Intellectual Property Office, British Film Institute, Design and Artists Copyright Society, British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies, and Federation of Commercial Audiovisual Libraries, will collaborate to explore solutions that reduce barriers to access and improve the availability of Public Domain works.

Initial discussions will focus on the process behind classifying and cataloguing works, particularly those where the copyright term has expired. This will include collaborating on a standard dataset, stored on JAAK’s rights network, KORD. The group will also consider more advanced features such as mechanisms that allow documentary-makers to prove they have obtained materials through official channels, custodians, and rights holders.

The working group will also explore similar opportunities for film and image ‘Orphan works’. Unlike Public Domain works, Orphan works are still under copyright, however, the rights holder is unknown or uncontactable. Licensing Orphan works can be time-consuming as licensees must prove they have conducted a “diligent search” to find the true owner of the material.

Beyond classification and cataloguing, the group will explore a verification system which could expedite the diligent search process for licensees and guardians, supporting the current Orphan Works licensing scheme that the IPO manages.

David Humphries MBE, Head of Research at the IPO, commented on the project “It is important for UK government to better understand how new technological solutions, such as blockchain,

impact on the intellectual property framework. Initiatives, such as JAAK’s KORD network, provide a live case study to help inform the IPO’s thinking in future proofing policy.”

Mark Waugh, Director of Business Development at DACS, supported this by saying, “DACS are excited to be working with JAAK on this exploratory journey. They have deep insights into how the processes of rights management can be deployed on the blockchain.”

Isabelle Doran, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, BAPLA, added, “BAPLA is delighted to be working with JAAK on technological solutions to identify and track rights in imagery. Our aim is to support creativity by enabling usage and, where appropriate, licensing of visual media.”

Dan Fowler, Strategy & Research at JAAK, said, “Our vision for KORD is one of a comprehensive protocol for the communication and commercialisation of any intellectual property rights. This project marks an important step as we look to take the technology that we have built with the music industry and apply it to wider use cases. We thank this fantastic group of collaborators for their support in working with us on this vision, and look forward to welcoming any other interested parties that would like to get involved.”