Dr Kary Oberbrunner, CEO and Co-Founder of Instant IP, spoke at the London Blockchain Conference 2024 and delivered a presentation on the innovative use of blockchain technology to protect intellectual property (IP) with Instant IP.
Intellectual property is becoming increasingly valuable, as Dr. Kary Oberbrunner pointed out in his presentation. However, protecting intellectual property is a bureaucratic, lengthy and expensive step, which can be hard to take for start-ups and new entrepreneurs. Instant IP offers creators, entrepreneurs, and businesses an up-to-date tool to protect and capitalise on their most valuable assets.
The evolution of the web and its impact on IP
Oberbrunner began his talk by tracing the evolution of the Internet and how it impacted intellectual property. He highlighted how Web1 was centred around individual ownership of content, where users primarily consumed information. Web2 saw the rise of user-generated content, but with a caveat—platforms, rather than creators, owned the content. This shift, while empowering users to create, often left them vulnerable to losing control over their creations. However, the advent of Web3 has changed the game, enabling users to both create and own their content.
In this context, Oberbrunner emphasised the critical importance of IP protection in the Web3 era. He introduced Instant IP (at the time of the London Blockchain Conference 2024 still named ‘EasyIP’), which he described as the “Uber of intellectual property protection.” This tool, which his company patented, allows for the immediate protection of ideas, offering a simple yet powerful solution to a complex problem.
A personal mission for IP protection
Oberbrunner’s dedication to IP protection is deeply personal. He shared a story from 2010 when his intellectual property was stolen—an experience that ignited his passion for safeguarding the ideas and creations of others. Parts of his book, Your Secret Name, was claimed by someone else, highlighting the vulnerabilities that creators face in the digital age. This experience became the driving force behind his commitment to developing robust IP protection solutions.
The growing value of intellectual property
Oberbrunner stressed the growing importance of intellectual property in modern business by referencing a significant shift in the asset value within the S&P 500. In 1975, only 17% of the S&P 500’s value was derived from intangible assets like IP. By 2020, this figure had soared to 90%. This shift underscores the critical role that IP plays in today’s economy, with companies increasingly relying on unique processes, systems, and ideas as their primary sources of value.
He compared the recognition and protection of IP to discovering valuable art after selling a house – emphasising that if you don’t take your IP seriously, no one else will. This analogy underscored the need for creators and entrepreneurs to protect and value their intellectual assets as they would any other valuable property.
Instant IP: A revolutionary tool for IP protection
To address the challenges of IP protection, Oberbrunner introduced Instant IP, which allows users to protect their intellectual property within 24 hours for just $97—a stark contrast to the traditional patenting process in the U.S., which can cost upwards of $20,000 and take years. He encouraged the audience to try the platform immediately using their smartphones, offering a live demonstration to showcase its ease of use.
During the demonstration, Oberbrunner invited an audience member on stage to share their idea, which involved creating an ecosystem for collaboration among entrepreneurs, researchers, and investors. He used this opportunity to show how the Instant IP app could protect such innovative concepts in real-time. He also highlighted the importance of naming your IP, comparing it to naming a baby, as it provides identity and protection to the idea.
How Instant IP works
Oberbrunner also discussed how the Instant IP platform helps companies protect, organise, and manage their IP. The platform assigns a unique token to each piece of IP, effectively turning ideas into digital assets. This tokenisation not only helps in organising IP but also increases the value of the company, particularly when it comes to selling the business. The blockchain’s immutable timestamp serves as a legal filing event, providing robust protection that aligns with official patent and trademark standards.
The speaker also pointed out that traditional IP processes are often too slow for the fast-paced world of AI and digital innovation. In contrast, Instant IP’s blockchain-based platform offers a quick, efficient, and globally recognised method for turning ideas into protected digital assets.
The future of IP protection
Oberbrunner concluded by discussing the growing recognition of Instant IP’s technology by major institutions like Congress, Harvard, and the American Bar Association, underscoring its credibility and potential to revolutionise IP protection. He fielded questions from the audience, confirming that smart contracts—like those used by Instant IP—are legally binding in the U.S. and other countries. He predicted that smart contracts would soon become as commonplace and legally accepted as digital signatures.
