Spanish Institutions to Begin Research on Using Blockchain for Copyright Management

The Madrid School of Telecommunications Engineering (ETSIT-UPM) and the Spanish Society of Authors and Publishers (SGAE) last week announced joint plans to undertake research relating to the possible launch of blockchain technology for copyright management in the digital era.

According to reports, the two public institutions inked a one-year agreement recently that allow them to work together in research projects for the creation of a digital processing platform powered by blockchain technology for copyright management with the help of  BigData, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI).

Speaking on the new partnership, SGAE president José Miguel Fernández Sastrón said, “The main lines of research will focus on disruptive technologies that address the challenges posed by the volume, diversity and dynamics of change in the use of content in the contemporary digital environment.”

According to the joint research agreement, both institutions will look into the possibility of employing blockchain technologies to protect the creations of authors, artists and the general protection of internet content.

The year-long agreement was made possible through the Rogelio Segovia Foundation for the development of telecommunications (Fundetel), and for this reason, a new SGAE-ETSIT-UPM chair was created specifically to oversee the joint initiative.

According to recent reports from Cointelegraph, the government of the autonomous Catalonia region has also disclosed plans to adopt blockchain technologies across all spheres of public administration by the end of this year.

Also this month, Banco Santander, the Spanish banking corporation that hails from Santander in Spain also announced the formation of an exploratory committee tasked with looking into the possibility of adopting blockchain technology to modernize its securities trading platform.

According to analysts, Banco Santander’s forays into blockchain technologies will have a big impact as the bank is a major player with listings in Madrid, New York, London, São Paulo, Milan, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Warsaw and Lisbon.