I am excited to return to the second annual Voice of Blockchain Conference, touted as the only blockchain conference to bring a no-pitch event connecting the blockchain ecosystem VoB consists of three tracks of content: Corporate and Enterprise, Digital Assets and Markets, and Impact and Innovation.
Monday, September 30th at 10:55 AM (Main Stage)
Stablecoins
Competitive Analysis of Stablecoins, with my co-panelist Nik Tchouparaov (CEO, Moneyfold Ltd), is moderated by the dynamic Alexandra Pordromos (Chicago Blockchain Center). We will explore what stablecoins are and how the definition has changed over time, as the space has matured. We will share our thoughts about some of the most exciting use cases for stablecoins and critique the impact and future of “corporate coins” like Libra, Walmart, for example, and fiat-alternative stablecoins like JP Morgan’s JPMCoin, Wells Fargo’s new dollar-pegged coin pilot for ‘better, faster, cheaper’ cross-border settlement within its system.
Of course, we cannot help but discuss whether the Libra hearings had a positive or negative effect on the crypto ecosystem and some hurdles to mainstream adoption and proliferation of stablecoins.
The Future of Innovation
In my second panel, Preparing for the Next Wave of Innovation we will discuss whether the future of blockchain is the future of all technology. This discussion will examine the changes in funding structures, innovation, and the evolution of how society organizes itself. From enterprise to decentralized ecosystems, we will discuss how blockchain is likely to evolve to become a part our everyday life and what is needed to get there. I will focus on the impact of blockchain and crypto on education, especially higher ed, and the impact of education on blockchain and crypto.
The PanelPicker is a two-step online process that allows the SXSW community to have a significant voice in programming conference activities (presentations, panels, discussions, demonstrations, etc.) for SXSW and SXSW EDU
Shontavia Johnson, Associate Vice President for Academic Partnerships and Innovation, Clemson University
Open blockchain protocols are generally based on open-source software, where intellectual property rights (patent, copyright, trademark) are generally not pursued. But when devs build dApps on top of open platforms, questions of IP ownership soon follow. Additionally, building a product or service “on the block” requires savvy entrepreneurs and owners to manage and leverage trademark and trade secret rights and protections. Our panel experts will explore all of these essential topics.
Shontavia Johnson, Associate Vice President for Academic Partnerships and Innovation, Clemson University
This SxSW EDU panel session will introduce educators to blockchain technology (what it is, its primary and myriad proposed use cases, and its impact on education and students). This panel will help demystify the topic and give examples of how to incorporate the blockchain and cryptocurrency into various subjects and courses, both in the traditional and online classroom.
Getting beyond the blockchain buzz. Interested in launching a business using distributed ledger technologies or the blockchain? Join digital entrepreneurs and founders from TrustaBit, PayUp, as well as a blockchain attorney as they spill the beans on the good, bad and ugly experiences of launching their businesses. How’d they build a team, solicit funds (tokens or traditional financing) and navigate the space? All will be revealed. And then some.
How far can your imagination take you? Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology opens the way for trustless, scalable systems that can change the world. We have all seen ICOs launched without a real problem to solve, or even a workable business model. Success comes when decision makers dare to dream beyond a pain point that has blocked their way, and developers realize the vision. This panel combines working case studies, software engineering experience, strategic innovation, and a sci-fi writer’s imagination. It aims to demonstrate how this emerging technology can turn fiction to fact and dreams to reality. It explores the balance between cutting edge blockchain and tried and tested software, and reflects on how the rush for magic internet money colors business decision making.
Today Professor Evans explores the role of intellectual property (IP) in the blockchain space, given the reality that the value of IP is generally derived from exclusive, proprietary rights. However, so much of the blockchain ecosystem’s infrastructure is open-source (and necessarily so) due to the need for, and benefits of, collaboration and interoperability. In fact, some fantastic projects, like Linux’s HyperLedger Project, were initiated to promote and support an open-source environment to spur blockchain innovation.
Contrary to the open-source community norms, some decentralized app (dApp) developers building on top of blockchains like Ethereum via “smart contract” code (think, “if, then” self-executing agreement) and infrastructure projects like those created by the Ripple and Mobius teams may, instead, seek a completely or at least substantially proprietary advantage by securing, for example, patent protection.
But is robust IP protection contrary to the originalist principles of the O.B. “original blockchain”, aka the Bitcoin Blockchain? Do strong IP protections, which may increase the overall value of a company’s worth, slow down or speed up innovation in an industry that moves at a meteoric pace? Do innovative steps outpace the US examination and registration processes for copyright (3 to 11 months), trademark (6 months to one year or longer), and patent (1 to 3 years)?
The bottom line is that navigating OSS licenses is challenging and, of course, implicates important legal and economic issues, especially related to patent (inventions) and copyright (creativity) because software is protectable by both IP regimes.
Aside from establishing a repository of blockchain-specific patent information, BIPC will be exploring various IP protection models that have worked in other sectors, such as: Non-aggression agreements – where industry players agree not to assert patents against each other; developing patent pools – where cross-licensing options are available to all pool participants; reducing inventory – where groups form (like the LOT Network) and the members agree not to sell patents without first granting a license to all group members.
Trademark registration is also an important tool to distinguish brand identity and raise consumer awareness. A trademark’s value can increase over time as the business reputation increases. Issues of consumer confusion, however, can cause harm. The Bitcoin (BTC) vs. Bitcoin Cash (BTH) confusion has left many an unwary person confused about the source of crypto. The consequences of transferring BTC to a BTH wallet means that Bitcoin is forever lost. So trademarks play a key role in avoiding consumer confusion, the primary test of trademark infringement. But with no central person or entity asserting ownership rights in this decentralized ecosystem, who is positioned to protect consumers?
Further, several crypto news outlets reported recently that a UK-based company registered BITCOIN as a trademark (for clothing, alcoholic & nonalcoholic drinks) & began issuing cease and desist letter to people like an Etsy store owner selling Bitcoin t-shirts. I covered this topic in a Twitter thread. If you’re wondering if this is illegal, the short answer is no. But that doesn’t mean industry leaders haven’t attempted to discourage this practice.
Yahoo Finance presents All Markets Summit: Crypto — the latest in our series of All Markets Summit events produced by Yahoo Finance. This all-day livestream event will take place on June 14, 2018 in San Francisco at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center. Yahoo AMS: Crypto examines the global investment appetite for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, and endeavors to answer some of the biggest questions surrounding these assets.
Should individual investors have crypto in their portfolio?
Is it a legitimate investment?
Will regulators impose stricter federal oversight?
This is Yahoo Finance’s second live cryptocurrency summit this year. Yahoo AMS: Crypto brings together influential entrepreneurs, corporate leaders, policy makers, and legal experts. Limited live studio audience seating available.
Yahoo AMS is presented in conjunction with CoinDesk.
