To understand the complexity of digital rights management, or DRM, one must first understand the DRM challenges of current systems and then the challenges (and opportunities) presented by blockchain technology that prides itself on transparency, data linkage and immutability as some of the main characteristics that lends itself to the trust systems. With Web 2.0, content creation and dissemination are via a platform that acts as an intermediary and, like any intermediary, has developed business models that monetize the avenues of content distribution, resulting data and metadata. Digital content (movies, images, music, etc.) can be replicated easily, and the platforms …

As decentralized exchanges (DEXs) evolve, their functionalities become more and more advanced, often matching those of centralized exchanges (CEXs). One such functionality is the ability to place limit orders, which offers more flexibility and efficiency to DEX traders. This article looks at the existing limit order features and their prospective implementations. Unlike a market order, which is executed immediately at the last market price with potential slippage, a limit order is executed at a predefined price as soon as it is reached. Market orders are used by default in all automated market maker-based DEXs. They are simple and straightforward for …

MyEtherWallet, or MEW, launched its first NFT collection called ETH Blocks on Thursday, which tokenizes individual blocks on the Ethereum blockchain. Unique images associated with ETH Blocks are generated based on the block’s data. These NFTs are available exclusively to MEW users via the MyEtherWallet website. A number of blocks have already been claimed, according to the company. Ethereum's founders called first dibs on blocks 1-10. There are also thirteen ETH Blocks representing The History of Ethereum, such as major milestones, forks and updates to the Ethereum blockchain, that have been put up for a month-long auction — The proceeds …

Axie Infinity, a monster-battling NFT game, has been gaining a lot of traction with over $600 million Axies bought and sold in the past month. Each Axie is a non fungible token, or NFT, minted on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain. Similar in theme to Nintendo's Pokemon series, Axies come in different rarity types, with varying strengths and attributes, with the strongest fetching very high prices on the game's marketplace. Players earn Smooth Love Potions (SLPs) by completing daily quests, defeating monsters, and battling other players in arenas with their Axies. SLPs can then be sold in exchange for various cryptocurrencies. …

A survey released by the Pew Research Center on Thursday found that roughly 16% of Americans have invested, traded or used some form of cryptocurrency. The number jumps to 31% for people aged 18-29, and even higher to 43% for specifically males in the same age bracket. Black, Hispanic, and Asian participants in the study were also each more likely to have invested in crypto than those who identified themselves as white. There seems to have been no disparity by income. Pew Research Analyst Andrew Perrin said: “We do see now that a large share of the American public has …

In its third-quarter earnings release, Canadian cryptocurrency miner Hut8 announced that it surpassed its goal set earlier this year of holding 5,000 Bitcoins (BTC) in reserves through mining. Its Bitcoin balance now amounts to 5,053, for a total market value of $430 million. During the quarter, Hut 8 generated 50.34 million Canadian dollars (CA$) in revenue and CA$23.37 million in net income, up from CA$5.75 million in revenue and a loss of CA$0.90 million in the prior year's quarter. The company hosts a sizable fleet of Application-Specific Integrated Circuit, or ASIC, machines used for Bitcoin mining. In addition, it deploys …

One under the radar cryptocurrency-powered payment app that's been gaining traction across Latin America is Reserve. The platform acts as a convenient way for people to convert their local currencies, which may be undergoing high inflation levels, to the United States Dollar via the Reserve stablecoin (RSV). The network also features the Reserve Rights token (RSR), which is used for protocol governance. Since its launch in March 2021, the platform says it has seen 367,000 total signups. Meanwhile the number of weekly active users has surpassed 100,000, with most located in Argentina, Venezuela, and Colombia. In the past 30 days, …

The Russian State Duma has created a working group that will tackle the complicated issue of forming regulations for the cryptocurrency mining industry. According to an official announcement on Nov. 11, State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin instructed the legislature to create a group that will address regulatory gaps in the industry. The group was formed following a statement by Andrei Lugovoy, the First Deputy of the Representative Committee on Security and Anti-Corruption. Lugovoy — a member of the right-wing Liberal Democratic People's Party — said Thursday that deputies have already written a draft bill which they will introduce in the …

City of Philadelphia Chief Innovation Officer Mark Wheeler announced an initiative to bring blockchain technology to city government on Monday. The project has invited people working in the blockchain and smart contracts space to contact staff working on the project to see how crypto technology could be useful within municipal government. Wheeler tweeted that he was inspired by the blockchain forward efforts of Miami, where Mayor Francis Suarez has touted city specific crypto tokens as a potential replacement for taxes and has opted to receive his next paycheck in bitcoin. Satoshi white paper gets notice on another big city's website. …

Landry’s Restaurant Group announced a partnership with cryptocurrency firm NYDIG on Tuesday that will enable diners to earn $25 worth of Bitcoin for every $250 spent at the hospitality conglomerate’s eateries. Landry’s will also begin keeping a portion of its corporate treasury reserves in Bitcoin under the care of NYDIG. The company is known for operating dozens of franchise entities including Morton’s, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the Rainforest Cafe, and the Palm. Landry’s is owned by billionaire TV personality Tillman Fertita, who also acts as the company’s CEO. Landry’s Director of Digital Asset Strategy Trey Zeluff said in a statement: …

Ever since the launch of the inter-blockchain communications, or IBC, protocol in March, which enabled the communication and transfer of digital assets across different blockchains, development activity seems to have picked up pace on the Cosmos (ATOM) network. Transaction volumes, the creation of decentralized applications, and the number of chains connected via IBC have all been trending upwards in recent months. Speakers at the Cosmoverse Conference, which took place last week, presented many of the latest technologies under development on the blockchain. Its biggest-ever hackathon will also take place in Lisbon tomorrow. #HackAtomVI is trending in the dev community! 1000+ …

In an announcement Friday morning, the University of Cambridge announced it would be building a novel decentralized carbon credit marketplace to support global reforestation efforts. Its ultimate goal would be to increase the adoption of nature-based conservation solutions, or NbS, such as reforestation, through financial instruments. The institution envisions that purchasers of carbon credits will be able to securely and directly fund NbS projects through the platform. The initiative, known as the Cambridge Centre for Carbon Credits, or 4C, is based in the Department of Computer Science and Technology and the Conservation Research Institute. Scientists and researchers will build the …