🛠️Technical Components of IP-NFTs

Molecule uses a host of services to enable the transacting of intellectual property in the form of NFTs. Below you can find a list of third-party projects and their corresponding application in the IP-NFT tech stack:

Diagram showing the process of IP-NFT minting

Lit Protocol (Access Control Module)

IP-NFTs can be used to securely manage access rights to private research data, legal agreements and IP. Molecule uses Lit Protocol to create and persist encryption keys for various use-cases. Lit Protocol nodes use secure threshold computation to store secrets so that no party besides the allowed ones ever has access to a private key. IP-NFT holders that comply to a token's access control conditions are able to retrieve the decrypted encryption key for all documents or data attached to an IP-NFT.

Overview | Lit Protocoldeveloper.litprotocol.com

Lit Protocol Documentation

IPFS (Decentralized Storage & Distribution)

IPFS is the most well known method to address and distribute data on peer to peer networks. Since the network cannot natively guarantee persistence, we're utilising Protocol Labs' web3.storage platform to pin all IPFS related content (e.g. encrypted legal documents) and automatically have Filecoin deals created.

Storacha - Super Hot Decentralized Data at ScaleStoracha - Decentralized Hot Storage Layer on Filecoin

web3.storage

Arweave (Data Storage Module)

IP-NFTs generally are agnostic about the storage layer of their metadata and attachments. Arweave is a decentralised, permanent data storage network with different persistence guarantees and economical mechanics than Filecoin. We consider to additionally offer support for Arweave persistence under full custody of IP-NFT minters. Users of the Molecule IP-NFT protocol are already free to use it.

Getting Started | Arweave Docsdocs.arweave.org

Arweave Documentation

Filecoin (Persistence / Storage Module)

To keep public and private research data persistent, Molecule implicitly makes use of Filecoin when uploading data to web3.storage. Besides attached legal documents and IP-NFT metadata containing research project detail information, Molecule aims to also backup private research data on this distributed data storage blockchain.

Welcome to Filecoin Docs | Filecoin Docsdocs.filecoin.io

Filecoin Documentation