Microsoft intends to combat piracy by utilising the Ethereum blockchain.

The Windows operating system and Office productivity suite have always been top performers on every software piracy platform. It’s no surprise, therefore, that Microsoft, the creator of both programmes, is working hard to implement anti-piracy mechanisms.

ARGUS

Microsoft’s research group explored a blockchain-based incentive system to boost anti-piracy operations. This is according to a recent report published with experts from Alibaba and Carnegie Mellon University.

Microsoft’s new system, named Argus: A Fully Transparent Incentive System for Anti-Piracy Campaigns. Argus is based on the transparency element of blockchain technology, as the title of the study implies. Argus is a trustless incentive system built on the Ethereum blockchain. Additionally, it attempts to secure data acquired from the open anonymous population of piracy reports.

Watermarking Method

With a watermarking method disclosed in the article, Argus allows backtracing of pirated content to its source. Each report of leaked content includes an information-hiding process, often known as “evidence of leaking.” No one but the informer will report the identical watermarked copy unless they genuinely possess it.

The system also has protections to prevent an informer from repeatedly submitting the same leaked material under multiple names. “We expect that real-world antipiracy operations will be genuinely effective by changing to a completely transparent incentive mechanism,” the study added, citing the security and practicality of Argus.

Moreover, IP Protection is now Extremely Critical

Intellectual property protection and digital piracy have become more critical to IT firms throughout the world. As previously reported by Cointelegraph, Tech Mahindra, the IT division of Indian conglomerate Mahindra Group, has announced a new blockchain-based digital contracts and rights platform for the media and entertainment sector based on IBM’s Hyperledger Fabric technology.