American tech giant Microsoft has won a blockchain-related patent for techniques for implementing a cross-chain token management system. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted the patent to Microsoft’s subsidiary, Microsoft Technology Licensing, on Tuesday. Filed in February 2019, the patent describes a “ledger-independent token service,” or a software service enabling individuals and organizations to create and manage tokens across multiple distributed ledger networks and platforms. Examples of such platforms in the patent filing included major blockchain platform Ethereum, IBM-backed Hyperledger Fabric, JPMorgan’s enterprise blockchain platform Quorum, R3 Corda and Chain Core. The described computer system aims to …

Nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, are digital records of the ownership of assets. The asset types most commonly associated with NFTs are digital assets, such as artwork like memes, GIFs, or gaming characters or properties. Assets represented by NFTs, however, may be digital, physical, tangible or intangible. Examples of asset types that have been transferred or that have had their ownership recorded utilizing NFTs include sports memorabilia, copyrights in music, artwork and real estate. Intellectual property assets and, specifically, the ownership and transfer of ownership of patents may also be recorded and transferred as NFTs. Related: Nonfungible tokens from a legal …

Chinese holding conglomerate Ping An Group filed the largest number of blockchain-related patents in 2020, according to a new report. Intellectual property-focused magazine Intellectual Asset Management has released a report on the rankings of the world’s foremost blockchain patentees. Based on data from the Derwent World Patents Index, the rankings show that Ping An filed 1,215 blockchain patent families in 2020, more than Tencent and Ant Group combined. Owning a total of 1,749 blockchain patent families, Ping An sharply increased its number of patent applications in 2020, up from just 291 in 2019. Based in Shenzhen, Ping An operates a …

Twitter plays defense with its patents, Square has launched a consortium — which includes Coinbase — to pool crypto patents and Alibaba is well on its way with its mission to overtake IBM in the blockchain patent wars. Many startups don’t take the necessary steps to protect their innovations, and that’s a big mistake. Particularly in blockchain, an open-source philosophy embedded in the space makes many entrepreneurs eschew the competitive, territorial landscape of patent applications. In fact, a lot of startups believe patents can’t be enforced on decentralized autonomous technology. That’s not true. In keeping their distance, they do themselves, …

The largest manufacturer of slot machines in the world has just received a patent that would allow customers to access crypto payments for gambling. According to records from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, International Game Technology, or IGT, received a patent today for a system that would enable gamblers to transfer crypto from their accounts into a “gaming establishment account.” The patent filing shows payments in Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Ether (ETH) as examples for users transferring crypto from their private wallets to wallets connected to casino accounts. “IGT secured this patent to bolster its industry-leading …

The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance, or COPA, headed up by finance company Square, recently picked up Coinbase as a cornerstone participant. Square unveiled the group in September as a method of warding off patent overreach — an issue that has been known to limit technological advancement. Coinbase senior counsel and COPA board member Brittany Cuthbert said in a public statement from the alliance on Friday: “As the crypto economy continues to grow, we believe it is important to help empower all projects building towards an open financial system. [...] We look forward to working alongside the members of COPA to …

Puerto Rico-based blockchain and robotics firm Bots Inc. has announced it is exploring its options with “a major law firm” to launch litigation against firms operating Bitcoin ATMs across the United States. Two weeks ago, the company acquired a patent for protocols underpinning the operation of Bitcoin ATMs, which it believes makes it eligible for millions in monthly royalties. As the owner of intellectual property for technology it claims is fundamental to the operation of Bitcoin ATM networks, Bots’ chief executive Paul Rosenberg is eying “per-transaction” royalties from Bitcoin ATM manufacturers: “Per-transaction royalty payments will be negotiated for a several-year …

Recent figures published by Chinese media outlets show that companies in China have filed for over half of all global blockchain patents. According to a report titled “2020 Blockchain Industry Development”, Chinese companies have applied for 4,435 blockchain patents following Chinese president Xi Jinping’s endorsement of the industry. The study was jointly compiled by Tsinghua University, Peking University, and China Institute of Communications. During a committee session in October 2019, President Xi called for the country to accelerate its adoption of blockchain technologies as a core for innovation. According to the study, tech giant Alibaba Group had applied for the …

Despite Chinese firm Alibaba filing the most patents so far this year, the United States still takes the lead as the country with the most blockchain patents, a Sept. 17 report from intellectual property consultancy KISSPatent said. IBM and Alibaba hold the most blockchain patents. Alibaba has filed more than 200 patents while IBM filed a little over 100. But other U.S.-based companies like Bank of America and Mastercard have also filed several patent applications bumping up the total for the U.S. According to KISSPatent, more blockchain patents have been filed in the first half of 2020 than all of …

Square, the United States-based financial services company headed by Twitter’s Jack Dorsey, is establishing a consortium to fight patent trolling and ensure open access to technology in the crypto sector. The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance, or COPA, seeks to democratize access to innovative technologies in the crypto sector, asserting that “open access to patents covering foundational cryptocurrency technologies is necessary for the community to grow, freely innovate, and build new and better products.” Square is putting all of our crypto patents into a new non-profit org we’re calling the Crypto Open Patent Alliance, which will maintain a shared patent library …

The United States Postal Service, or USPS, recently filed a patent for a mail-in voting system that utilizes Blockchain and other technologies for verification. Responding to an inquiry from Cointelegraph, U.S. Representative for Florida's 9th district, Darren Soto, voiced his excitement about this prospective development. “I think it’s a great idea," Soto told Cointelegraph. "I’m real excited that the post office is working on this issue," he explained. "It’s something that was a pleasant surprise for many in congress," the congressman added, noting the necessity of patent filing in line with governmental technological advancements. Currently a hotly debated topic, mail-in …

Verisign, a major domain name registry that controls the ‘.com’ and ‘.net’ domains, has acquired a patent that applies blockchain tech to domain names. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) granted patent number 10,721,060 to Verisign on July 21. Addresses instead of numbers Titled Domain name blockchain user addresses, the new patent outlines some major benefits and technical advantages associated with registrants utilizing their domain name system (DNS) domain names in a blockchain network. It can provide the ability to use domain names purchased in the traditional DNS environment in a blockchain environment. Verisign explained that by applying …