Brooklyn Roasting and IBM Send Yirgacheffe Through the Blockchain – Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine

July 27, 2018

It’s an admirable effort, but there are some key omissions, first and foremost the price paid for the coffee, which is not shown in the blockchain ledger. Secondly, the suggestion that “fairness” or some vague concept of supply chain equity is bolstered by blockchain seems unfounded. IBM and Brooklyn Roasting show only the Fairtrade premium-associated investments back into the coffee-growing community — investments made in 2016, with or without blockchain technology.

So while opening the books is commendable, the opening itself is by no means a solution to deep-rooted problems affecting the equitable trade of coffee.

Source: Brooklyn Roasting and IBM Send Yirgacheffe Through the Blockchain – Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine, Nick Brown | July 26, 2018

n-roasting-and-ibm-send-yirgacheffe-through-the-blockchain/” target=”_blank”>Brooklyn Roasting and IBM Send Yirgacheffe Through the Blockchain – Daily Coffee News by Roast Magazine, Nick Brown | July 26, 2018

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How Can We Make Intellectual Property Rights ‘Smarter’ With The Blockchain? | Forbes

July 25, 2018

“While the digitization of copyrighted songs themselves is nothing new through platforms such as Grokster, Napster, and iTunes, what is new and very exciting for copyright owners is the vast potential by which blockchain technology may soon be able to create a workable digital footprint that would assist in better enforcement of unauthorized digital uses that continue to proliferate in the wild, wild west of the internet, particularly with respect to social media sites. The blockchain footprint would also be immensely helpful for other artists, filmmakers, producers, and anyone who wants to find information relevant for licensing—the name of the song, the artist who wrote the song, the year it was produced, and who currently owns the rights to the song.”

Without this new and emerging technology, it is nearly impossible for artists and/or their attorneys to easily access this information, even with today’s existing technology. By digitizing IP rights and moving them onto the Blockchain and a distributed ledger, we can effectively secure and protect creators’ rights, while making them publicly accessible, turning them into “smart IP rights”.

Source: How Can We Make Intellectual Property Rights ‘Smarter’ With The Blockchain? | Forbes, Andrew Rossow, July 24, 2018,

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The Supply Side: Blockchain holds potential for retail applications – Talk Business & Politics

July 19, 2018

Coca-Cola is starting a pilot to use blockchain to identify inhumane labor conditions in its sugar supply chains. Coca-Cola plans to create a secure decentralized registry for workers and their contracts to help securely record their workers’ identities while providing a trail in case employers abuse their power.

Blockverify offers transparency to pharmaceutical, luxury, diamond and electronic supply chains. Blockchain works to verify counterfeit products, diverted goods, stolen merchandise and fraudulent transactions.

VeChain is a blockchain system that embeds customized chips into luxury products and allows manufacturers to trace the product from end to end. Consumers can scan a product with a mobile app to instantly know whether it’s real or fake.

NPD said the next step for retailers is to develop their own cryptocurrency to prevent customers from having to use credit cards when shopping online. NPD said the practice makes sense for the retailer, because if the customer could send the payment transfer via blockchain, it would avoid third-party clearing house fees retailers pay for processing card payments.

Source: The Supply Side: Blockchain holds potential for retail applications – Talk Business & Politics, Kim Souza, July 2, 2018

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Top 10 New Blockchain Companies To Watch For In 2018 | Forbes

July 17, 2018

thousands of innovative companies around the world are trying to solve market inefficiencies by leveraging the benefits that blockchain technology provides. These companies can be found in every industry, from content creation and transportation to financial services.The blockchain ecosystem flourishes due to tokenized economies, developers, service providers and entrepreneurs who are breaking the mold. Here are 10 companies on my radar using blockchain technology as a core piece of their business to make a difference.

Source: Top 10 New Blockchain Companies To Watch For In 2018, Andrew Rossow, July 10, 2018

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What Blockchain Can’t Do

July 6, 2018

As the ecosystem around blockchain technology develops, new types of intermediaries will emerge that turn the last-mile problem, of keeping digital records in sync with their offline counterparts, into actual business opportunities. While the technology is early stage, as these key complements mature, blockchain has the potential to fundamentally reshape ownership over digital data, and the digital platforms we use every day.

Source: What Blockchain Can’t Do, Catherine Tucker & Christian Catalini, June 28, 2018

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