IP Assets

An IP Asset on Medialane is a programmable NFT that encodes both ownership proof and licensing terms as on-chain, immutable attributes. The combination of a Starknet transaction hash and an IPFS CID creates a Berne Convention-compatible copyright record valid in 181 countries.

The Registration Model

When a creator mints an IP asset, three things happen simultaneously:

Media upload — The file is pinned to IPFS via Pinata. The CID is a cryptographic fingerprint of the content — if the file changes, the CID changes.
Metadata anchoring — A JSON metadata file (also IPFS-pinned) records title, description, IP type, license terms, and a pointer to the media CID.
On-chain mint — The NFT is minted with the metadata IPFS URI. The Starknet transaction timestamp is immutable and globally verifiable.

Together, the IPFS CID + Starknet block timestamp = permanent proof of prior art, enforceable under Berne Convention Article 5 (automatic protection upon creation, no registration required).

IP Types

Medialane supports 12 IP categories, each with appropriate metadata schema guidance:

| Type | Examples | |------|---------| | Art | Digital paintings, illustrations, generative art | | Music | Songs, albums, beats, sound design | | Photography | Photos, photo series, documentary work | | Writing | Articles, books, poetry, scripts | | Film | Short films, animations, video essays | | Software | Source code, algorithms, programs | | Brand | Logos, trademarks, brand identity systems | | Design | UI/UX, product design, architecture | | Research | Academic papers, datasets, analysis | | Education | Courses, curricula, educational materials | | Game | Games, game assets, game design documents | | Other | Work that doesn't fit the above categories |

Licensing System

Every IP asset carries machine-readable license terms embedded as NFT attributes. The licensing framework covers nine dimensions:

Creative Commons Presets

| License | Commercial Use | Derivative Works | Attribution Required | |---------|---------------|-----------------|---------------------| | CC0 (Public Domain) | ✅ | ✅ | No | | CC BY | ✅ | ✅ | Yes | | CC BY-SA | ✅ | ✅ (ShareAlike) | Yes | | CC BY-NC | ❌ | ✅ | Yes | | CC BY-ND | ✅ | ❌ | Yes | | CC BY-NC-SA | ❌ | ✅ (ShareAlike) | Yes | | CC BY-NC-ND | ❌ | ❌ | Yes | | All Rights Reserved | ❌ | ❌ | — |

Custom License Terms

Beyond CC presets, creators can define:

| Term | Options | |------|---------| | Commercial use | Allowed / Prohibited / Requires license agreement | | Derivative works | Allowed / Allowed with attribution / Prohibited | | AI training | Allowed / Prohibited / Allowed for non-commercial | | Geographic scope | Worldwide / Specific regions | | Royalty % | 0–25% (enforced at on-chain sale) | | Sublicensing | Allowed / Prohibited | | Exclusivity | Non-exclusive / Exclusive (requires negotiation) |

License terms are stored as IPFS metadata attributes and are indexable by any compatible aggregator, AI system, or marketplace.

Remix & Attribution Graph

When a creator builds a derivative work, they reference the original asset's token ID and contract address in their mint transaction. This creates an on-chain attribution chain — a graph tracing creative lineage back to the originating work.

CC0 and CC BY assets auto-approve remix requests
Custom license terms require explicit on-chain acceptance by the original creator
Attribution is permanent — the remix record cannot be altered or deleted

IPFS Storage & Gateways

All media and metadata files are pinned to IPFS via Pinata. The protocol resolves content through a multi-gateway fallback:

Pinata gateway (primary)
ipfs.io
Cloudflare IPFS
dweb.link

A 24-hour local cache prevents redundant gateway requests. ipfs:// URIs are always resolved through the Pinata gateway first — this ensures fast access while maintaining decentralization.

Metadata Schema

Token Metadata (OpenSea-compatible)

{
  "name": "string",
  "description": "string",
  "image": "ipfs://...",
  "external_url": "https://medialane.io/asset/{contract}/{tokenId}",
  "attributes": [
    { "trait_type": "IP Type",           "value": "Music" },
    { "trait_type": "License",           "value": "CC BY 4.0" },
    { "trait_type": "Commercial Use",    "value": "Allowed" },
    { "trait_type": "Derivative Works",  "value": "Allowed with attribution" },
    { "trait_type": "AI Training",       "value": "Prohibited" },
    { "trait_type": "Geographic Scope",  "value": "Worldwide" },
    { "trait_type": "Royalty",           "value": "10%" }
  ]
}

Collection Metadata (OpenSea-compatible)

{
  "name": "Collection Name",
  "description": "string",
  "image": "ipfs://...",
  "external_link": "https://medialane.io/collections/{contract}"
}

Berne Convention Compliance

The Berne Convention (181 signatory countries, administered by WIPO) grants automatic copyright from the moment of creation. No registration is required. Medialane's on-chain timestamp provides:

Prior art evidence — Immutable proof of existence before any given date
Ownership proof — Wallet signature establishes the creator's identity at mint time
Content integrity — IPFS CID is a cryptographic hash; any modification would produce a different CID

This does not replace legal counsel for disputes — it provides the evidence record that legal proceedings may require. Enforcement is the creator's responsibility through the jurisdiction's legal system.

On-chain Provenance

Every IP asset accrues a provenance record — a chain of transfer, sale, and remix events indexed from Starknet. The Medialane API (getTokenHistory) returns a full timeline for any asset, including:

Mint event (creator, timestamp, tx hash)
Transfer history (from/to, timestamps)
Sale history (price, currency, buyer, seller)
Remix events (derivative works referencing this asset)