DYOR š¬
Web3 was meant to solve the right-click-save problems of the internet where most people expect most content to be free (or ad-subsidized) and it can be duplicated and distributed in an instant, creator be damned.
Despite ongoing issues around royalties, Web3ās partially succeeded thanks to the power of smart contracts (and the loyalty of some collectors), but its done so in very limited ways and only with a fairly narrow selection of intellectual property (IP) categories ā art, and to a lesser extent, music. Story Protocol wants to change that.
(1/n) Introducing Story Protocol: open IP infrastructure for the internet era
Today weāre launching with $54m in funding led by @a16zcrypto
Weāre building the āGit for IPā to unleash the full creative potential of the internet. Hereās how š§µš
— Story Protocol (@StoryProtocol)
Sep 6, 2023
Story Protocol is billing itself as āthe Github of IP,ā and wants to offer a Lego-block-like structure for IP, where people can remix and rework each otherās work while maintaining provenanceā¦ because remixing is inevitable, but paying creators for their efforts isnāt.
Our current IP infrastructure is too unwieldy to support remixing, community lore, and co-creation as foundational pillars of creativity. Instead of leaning into the fundamental force of the internet ā openness ā most IP models emphasize a defensive stance, adding friction to the creative process.
To get to this goal, Story Protocol says two things are needed. First, a new standard ā or protocol ā is necessary that will enable creators to be compensated for the use of their work, and (even more ambitiously) which will be able to contend with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the way it puts replicating and remixing into overdrive.
šØ Investing in @StoryProtocol : I'm thrilled to announce that @a16zcrypto is leading an investment in @StoryProtocol. More below š
I grew up obsessed with movies, TV, and comics. Batman, Star Trek, and Harry Potter formed a major part of my childhood. Today, we're seeing aā¦ twitter.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
— Sriram Krishnan - sriramk.eth (@sriramk)
Sep 6, 2023
The second is a āseamless and scalable licensing regimeā where ā IP owners can set the parameters for their licensing rights, resulting in scalable one-to-many licensing.ā
Itās a bold mission, because as weāve seen with the very slow and often delayed rollout of the Matter smart home protocol, or OpenSeaās failed Seaport protocol, getting people to buy into new standards is hard. Itās also tough because the licensing regime is labyrinthine and deeply entrenched, and because by and large, AI providers are opting for the forgiveness-not-permission approach to purloining IP.
But two things suggest Story Protocol has a fighting chance. First, thereās its founding team of S.Y. Lee (formerly of Radish), Jason Levy (Episode), and Jason Zhao (Google DeepMind) Second, it has the support of a16zcrypto which lead the companyās $54 million raise. Thatās sure to help, not only in terms of funding, but in terms of the Rolodex a16z brings to the table.
We agree how IP works needs a shakeup. Weāre looking forward to the next chapter in Story Protocols tale.
ExtraOrdinally š
On Wednesday, āOrdfluencerā Leonidas announced the addition to the Ordinals Protocol of āparent-childā inscriptions, allowing for on-chain provenance, the use cases for which Ordinals fans are only just beginning to explore:
WTF are parent-child inscriptions?
The long awaited parent-child PR has just been merged into the Ordinals Protocol.
Here is everything you need to know:
Until now the Ordinals Protocol lacked a standard for on-chain provenance. This means that we have had to rely on off-chainā¦ twitter.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
— Leonidas (@LeonidasNFT)
Sep 6, 2023
Which explains why, on Thursday, Ord.io introduced āRecursive Modules,ā which make it incredibly easy to explore Ordinals with recursive inscriptions:
Introducing Recursive Modules on !
It is now easier than ever to explore the inscriptions that are powering a recursive inscription.
— Ord.io (@ord_io)
Sep 7, 2023
Meanwhile, Beepleās told Ordinals enthusiast @nonfungible_jan the reason he hasnāt yet embraced Bitcoin and Ordinals āis because the infrastructure is still in its infancy and the UX has to improve.ā In other words, build it and he will come:
Just had a chance to chat with @beeple about #Ordinals real quick, here is TLDR;
1/ When he thinks about which chain to put his art on, what matters is the longevity of the chain itself
2/ Obviously he believes that if there is one chain that has a shot at being around foreverā¦ twitter.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
— Jan (@nonfungible_jan)
Sep 7, 2023
If someone sent you this issue, consider thanking them ā and supporting our work ā by subscribing and joining 7,250+ Metaversalists embracing the possibilities of decentralized ownership each week.
Headliners š¤
Cozomo deāMedici is partnering with The Hug and choosing six emerging digital artists whose work will be displayed alongside work from the likes of XCOPY, Beeple, Grant Yun, and Sam Spratt on the billboards of Tokyoās iconic Shibuya Crossing. Click here to apply.
If youāre going to be in Singapore next week for TOKEN2049, generative art platform fxhash is hosting what looks set to be an unmissable event:
Generative Art Night š
at the Mandala Club, Singapore
RSVP:On 14 September, we invite you to join us for an unforgettable night of generative art live minting, art + tech conversation & culture, all while unwinding with drinks mixed to perfection at oneā¦ httptwitter.com/i/web/status/1ā¦
— fxhash (@fx_hash_)
Sep 6, 2023
Music NFT platform sound.xyz is releasing a new model for drops soon thatāll offer a combination of limited editions (for core collectors) and open editions (for reach), which could go a long way to solving one of the sectorās biggest challenges: balancing scarcity with scale.
Artist 0xDEAFBEEF has announced a new collection of 100 āunique hand forged iron scupturesā linked to NFTs and requiring a trip to an event hosted in Patagonia in November by Bright Moments. Tickets for the collection will be sold between September 18-20:
Pleased to announce HASHMARKS
- 100 unique hand forged iron sculptures
- Cryptographically linked NFTs with unique claim/storage/time-based mechanism.
- Site specific happening @brtmoments Nov 6-8 Patagonia
Ticket sale Sep 18 - 20.
Details:
1/ š§µ— 0xDEAFBEEF (@_deafbeef)
Sep 6, 2023
VeVe is dropping a collection of 5,800 Pink Panther-themed digital collectibles on Sunday, September 10, priced at $30 each and available in three rarities.
Zygna-powered Web3 gaming project Sugartown is offering a free mint of 9,999 NFTs (6,000 public supply) dubbed the āOras collectionā on September 13.
Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee does not like the Solana Saga phone:
Justin Bieber sold 2,000 NFTs tied to his new single āCompanyā priced at $28 each, each promising holders 0.0005% of the royalties from the trackās streaming revenue. You couldnāt buy them in the US, because they look a whole lot like unregistered securities, but donāt feel hard done by, the track will need to reach 1.4 billion streams for holders to break even.
Metaversalism š„Ā
Can you tell AI-generated images from genuine ones? Itās tough, as we learned in this weekās installment of Metaversal IRL:
How many correct ones did you get? š Hereās a manual to spot AI-generated photos š§µš
— Metaversal (@HelloMetaversal)
Sep 8, 2023
Lars Wander would like you to buy his art, please, so he doesnāt have to defend his decision to quit his job at Google to his parents:
Join us on a journey into the captivating world of generative artist @larswander āØ
In this exclusive interview, we delve into the mesmerizing choreography of math and color that brings his masterpieces to life and unravel some of the secrets of his practiceš
— Metaversal (@HelloMetaversal)
Aug 31, 2023
Itās after Labor Day, so the white wardrobe items have been packed away and weāve already seen our first 12-foot Home Depot skeleton in the wild. Bring on the spooky season! š
Connect for more š
Need an invite code for Bluesky? Here you go:
bsky-social-inqgt-mfgih
bsky-social-tw6wz-va7n4
Until next time, see you in the metaverseā¦ or at the US Open, sipping a Honey Deuce, depending on your location and proclivities. š¹