Computer-implemented methods for controlling rights related to digital knowledge

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for controlling rights related to digital knowledge is disclosed. The method includes creating and managing a distributed ledger which includes a plurality of blocks linked via cryptography distributed over a plurality of nodes of a network. The method further includes implementing and managing a smart contract which includes a triggering event and a smart contract action. The method further includes receiving, tokenizing, and storing an instance of the digital knowledge in the distributed ledger. The method includes managing, rights of control of and access to the tokenized digital knowledge based on the smart contract, and performing, in response to an occurrence of the triggering event, the corresponding smart contract action with respect to the tokenized digital knowledge.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer-implemented method for controlling rights related to digital knowledge, the computer-implemented method comprising:
 creating and managing a distributed ledger, wherein the distributed ledger comprises a plurality of blocks linked via cryptography distributed over a plurality of nodes of a network;   implementing and managing a smart contract, wherein the smart contract comprises a triggering event and corresponding smart contract action and is stored in the distributed ledger;   receiving an instance of the digital knowledge;   tokenizing the digital knowledge;   storing the tokenized digital knowledge via the distributed ledger;   processing commitments of a plurality of parties to the smart contract;   managing, according to the smart contract, rights of control of and access to the tokenized digital knowledge; and   performing, in response to an occurrence of the triggering event, the corresponding smart contract action with respect to the tokenized digital knowledge.   
     
     
         2 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising orchestrating, based on the smart contract, an exchange of new digital knowledge for the tokenized digital knowledge. 
     
     
         3 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 2 , further comprising integrating the knowledge exchange with a separate exchange, wherein the knowledge exchange facilitates an exchange of at least one of valuable and sensitive knowledge related to a subject matter of the separate exchange. 
     
     
         4 . A computer-implemented method for controlling rights related to digital knowledge comprising:
 creating and managing a distributed ledger, wherein the digital ledger comprises a plurality of blocks linked via cryptography distributed over a plurality of nodes of a network;   implementing and managing a smart contract, wherein the smart contract comprises a triggering event;   performing a smart contract action with respect to the digital knowledge in response to an occurrence of the triggering event;   receiving, from a knowledge provider device, an instance of the digital knowledge that comprises a three-dimensional (3D) printer instruction set for 3D printing an object;   tokenizing the digital knowledge such that the instance of the digital knowledge is manipulable as a token on the distributed ledger;   storing the tokenized digital knowledge on the distributed ledger;   processing commitments of the knowledge provider and a knowledge recipient of the 3D printer instruction set to the smart contract;   managing rights of control of and access to the tokenized digital knowledge according to the smart contract; and   managing the smart contract action according to a condition and the triggering event.   
     
     
         5 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 4  further comprising crowdsourcing an element of the instance of the digital knowledge via the smart contract, wherein the element of the instance of the digital knowledge is managed by a smart contract system according to the smart contract. 
     
     
         6 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 crowdsourcing information regarding: an element of the instance of the digital knowledge, the knowledge provider, or a knowledge recipient; and   updating the smart contract in response to the crowdsourced information.   
     
     
         7 . The computer-implemented method of  claim 6 , further comprising updating a condition, or a smart contract action based, at least in part, on the crowdsourced information.