Patent Explainer: Bit Trust — Blockchain IP Registration (F-003)

What F-003 Does

F-003 describes a blockchain-native intellectual property registration system called "Bit Trust." It combines three components: a signing tool that hashes and signs IP content, an on-chain identity system ($401 tokens) that proves who the creator is, and an encrypted vault that stores the actual content privately while only the hash is recorded on-chain.

The result is a system where creators can prove they created something at a specific time, under a verified identity, without revealing the content itself. Registrations start at a basic level (timestamp only) and accumulate evidentiary weight over time as witnesses, professionals, and institutions add attestations. Each registration forms an "IP Thread" — a linked chain of on-chain inscriptions recording the full lifecycle of a piece of intellectual property from creation through licensing and transfer.

This is the patent for proving ownership of ideas without a lawyer, a notary, or a government registry.

The Problem It Solves

1. Cost and delay. Formal IP registration (patents, trade marks, copyright) is expensive and slow. Independent developers, artists, and small enterprises often cannot justify the cost for every piece of work they produce.

2. Proof of prior art. Establishing that a work existed at a particular point in time traditionally requires trusted third parties: solicitors, notaries, registered post services. These are cumbersome, costly, and introduce counterparty risk.

3. Identity binding. Existing blockchain timestamping services (OpenTimestamps, OriginStamp) can prove a document existed at a given time, but they do not cryptographically bind the document to a verified identity. A timestamp proves existence but not authorship.

4. Graduated evidence. The legal weight of IP evidence varies by jurisdiction and context, yet existing systems offer only binary registration — you either have a formal registration or you do not. There is no mechanism for tiered evidence that accumulates strength over time.

5. Confidentiality vs. disclosure. Registering IP often requires disclosing its contents. For trade secrets, unpublished works, and pre-patent ideas, creators need to prove existence and authorship without revealing the content.

6. Fragmented identity. Creators have multiple online identities (GitHub, Google, LinkedIn, domain ownership) but no unified mechanism to aggregate these into a single, verifiable identity chain attached to IP registrations.

How It Works

The $401 Identity Token System

When a user first registers, a root identity inscription is created on the BSV blockchain containing a public key and metadata. For each OAuth provider the user connects (GitHub, Google, LinkedIn, X/Twitter, Microsoft, domain ownership via DNS TXT record), a "strand inscription" is created containing a cryptographic proof of the user's account on that provider.

The root inscription plus all strand inscriptions form an "identity chain." The strength of the identity is proportional to the number and diversity of connected providers:

• Level 1: Single provider (e.g., Google account only)
• Level 2: Two providers from different categories
• Level 3: Three or more providers including at least one professional identity (GitHub, LinkedIn)
• Level 4+: Additional attestations including domain ownership, corporate verification, or government-issued identity linkage

The Signing Tool

The signing tool is the primary interface through which creators register IP:

1. Content capture — The creator submits IP content (source code, documents, images, audio, video, datasets, any digital file) via direct upload, URL reference, or API integration (e.g., Git commit hook).
2. Hash generation — The tool computes a SHA-256 hash of the content. For structured content (e.g., a Git repository), it may compute a Merkle root of all constituent files.
3. Metadata assembly — The tool assembles registration metadata: content hash, title, description, content type, the creator's $401 identity chain reference, and timestamp.
4. Signing — The assembled data is signed using the creator's private key (the same key that anchors their $401 identity chain).
5. Inscription — The signed registration data is inscribed on the BSV blockchain as an immutable record. The actual content is NOT inscribed on-chain.

The Encrypted Vault

The actual IP content is stored in an encrypted vault while only the cryptographic hash is recorded on-chain. Content is encrypted using AES-256-GCM with a content encryption key derived from the creator's master key. Each registration has a unique key.

The creator controls access. They can grant access to specific registrations by generating and sharing per-registration decryption keys. Access grants are themselves recorded on-chain as subsidiary inscriptions, creating an auditable access log. The system supports escrow arrangements for dispute resolution.

Tiered Trust Registration

This is a significant innovation over binary registration systems. Each tier builds upon the previous:

• Tier 1 — Timestamp Only: Content hash inscribed on-chain with timestamp. No identity binding. Proves existence at a point in time.
• Tier 2 — Identity-Bound Timestamp: Content hash linked to a $401 identity chain. Proves existence and links to a verified online identity. Suitable for establishing prior art in informal disputes.
• Tier 3 — Multi-Attestation Registration: Linked to a $401 identity chain AND co-signed by one or more independent witnesses ($401 identity holders). Suitable for pre-litigation evidence gathering.
• Tier 4 — Professional Attestation: All of Tier 3, plus attestation by a recognised professional (solicitor, patent attorney, chartered accountant) whose own $401 chain includes professional body verification. Approaches the standard of a statutory declaration.
• Tier 5 — Institutional Registration: All of Tier 4, plus registration with or recognition by an institutional body (collecting society, trade body, or IP office that accepts blockchain evidence). Equivalent to formal registration.

Registrations can be upgraded over time by adding attestations. The on-chain record preserves the history of all attestations, showing when each was added.

Selective Disclosure

Creators can prove aspects of their IP registration without revealing the full content:

• Zero-knowledge existence proof — Prove that content with a specific hash was registered at a specific time, signed by a specific identity, without revealing what the content is.
• Partial content disclosure — For structured content, the Merkle tree allows the creator to reveal specific files or sections whilst proving they are part of the registered whole, without revealing the remaining files.
• Time-locked disclosure — The vault content can be set to become automatically decryptable at a future date (based on blockchain block height).
• Designated verifier proofs — Proofs that are verifiable only by a designated party (e.g., a court, an IP examiner), preventing forwarding or use by unintended recipients.

IP Thread Architecture

Each piece of IP forms an "IP Thread" — a sequence of linked on-chain inscriptions recording its lifecycle:

1. Creation Inscription — The initial registration (content hash, identity binding, timestamp)
2. Attestation Inscriptions — Subsequent witness or professional attestations that increase the tier
3. Version Inscriptions — Registrations of updated or derived versions, each referencing the original
4. Licence Inscriptions — Records of licences granted, including licensee identity, scope, duration, and terms
5. Transfer Inscriptions — Records of ownership transfers or assignments
6. Dispute Inscriptions — Records of disputes raised, evidence submitted, and resolutions

Live Implementation

• Identity protocol: path401.com — the $401 identity system that Bit Trust is built upon
• Signing tool: bit-sign — the $401 identity signer

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Filed at UKIPO by The Bitcoin Corporation Ltd. Patent pending. Application reference F-003.