Document Type : Original Article
Author
university of religions and denominations
Abstract
1- INTRODUCTION
Digital media managers continually face a complex array of challenges that impact the effective operation and sustainability of digital platforms. These challenges include safeguarding user privacy amid increasing concerns over data misuse, managing multifaceted interactions among managers, staff, and diverse audiences, addressing inaccuracies and inconsistencies within vast and dynamic databases, overcoming inadequate network security controls that expose platforms to cyber threats, and navigating the complexities of collaborative financial management in an evolving media ecosystem. These issues are compounded by the rapid pace of technological change and the proliferation of new media formats, which require constant adaptation and innovation to maintain competitive and secure operations.
Simultaneously, the rise of new technologies and diverse media platforms has introduced additional complications, such as the widespread presence of fake user identities that undermine trust and authenticity. More critically, significant threats to the intellectual and material rights of content creators have emerged, challenging traditional notions of ownership and control. These developments have propelled intellectual property management into a fundamentally new phase, where both users and content producers in today’s digital media landscape confront a variety of risks ranging from unauthorized use and piracy to challenges in verifying authorship and provenance.
Blockchain technology, with its inherent characteristics of transparency, data integrity, enhanced security, and precise traceability, presents a promising and innovative opportunity for addressing these intellectual property challenges. By creating immutable records and enabling decentralized verification, blockchain can ensure that ownership rights are clearly established and protected, while facilitating more trustworthy interactions between creators, distributors, and consumers. This technology also supports the tracking of content usage and distribution in real time, which is critical for enforcing rights and ensuring fair compensation.
The present study aimed to design a comprehensive intellectual property model tailored specifically for Iranian digital media by leveraging blockchain technology. Given the continuous emergence of new platforms and the exponential growth in the production and distribution of digital content, serious and systematic attention to intellectual property rights is essential to foster a sustainable and fair digital media environment. The blockchain-based intellectual property model developed in this research seeks to enhance transparency and trust among all stakeholders, thereby fostering an efficient and strategically sound environment conducive to innovation and growth in digital media.
2- METHODOLOGY
To achieve this, the research employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and is developmental and applied in nature. Data collection involved qualitative library research to identify foundational concepts and quantitative field studies to validate and refine the model. During the qualitative phase, intellectual property and blockchain components were identified through meta-synthesis, a rigorous method that integrates findings from multiple studies to generate comprehensive insights. These components were then circulated among experts using the Delphi method, a structured communication technique designed to achieve consensus among specialists.
The study population comprised digital media managers and blockchain specialists, reflecting a broad spectrum of expertise. Media managers included leaders overseeing prominent social networks such as Aparat, Rubika, Baleh, and Eitaa; national media networks; application platforms including CafeKetab, CafeBazaar, Digikala, Okala, Fidibo, Filimo, HafHastad, and HamrahMan; as well as news agencies like Fars, Mehr, IRIB News Agency, and the Young Journalists Club, totaling 20 individuals. These participants were selected for their leadership roles in Iran’s most widely used media outlets and their willingness to collaborate. Blockchain experts were drawn from the "Blockchain Technologists Association," with 85 volunteers, alongside three board members from the "Iran Blockchain House," resulting in a total population of 108, which eliminated the need for sampling. In the qualitative stage, the seven-step meta-synthesis algorithm developed by Sandelowski and Barroso (2003) was applied to extract relevant components from a wide range of articles, theses, and books. In the quantitative phase, expert feedback was collected via the Delphi method and a carefully designed structured questionnaire. The questionnaire’s validity was confirmed by academic experts, ensuring that it accurately measured the intended constructs. Its reliability was established through Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of 87% for intellectual property and 85% for blockchain technology, indicating high internal consistency.
3- RESULTS & DISCUSSION
The present study effectively identified multiple dimensions of intellectual property ownership through the application of blockchain technology. As detailed in Table 3, among the 53 identified indicators, 12 pertain to the dimension of intellectual property management; 13 to technological advancement and development; 13 to the blockchain technological framework; and 15 to legal management and human resources. Following the Delphi method, it was found that within the legal management and human resources dimension, 10 indicators achieved the highest average score of 256.60. Technological advancement and development ranked second with 8 indicators and an average score of 240.50, followed by intellectual property management with 7 indicators and an average score of 238.71, and lastly the blockchain technological framework with 9 indicators and an average score of 228.44. The final model was constructed based on these prioritized dimensions.
4- CONCLUSIONS & SUGGESTIONS
This research ultimately developed an intellectual property model grounded in blockchain components tailored for digital media, reflecting Akrami’s (2024) assertion that new algorithms and frameworks must be devised to protect and support creators’ rights in digital environments. Similarly, Mahrokh-Moghadam et al. (2020) highlight four essential domains—media, legal, philosophical, and technical—as foundational for policymaking and establishing an effective intellectual property model. Mohseni (2022) further stresses the critical dos and don’ts regarding digital content publication, arguing that standardized systems for organizing, sharing, and accessing knowledge significantly streamline and expedite content distribution within media ecosystems.
Thanks to its distinctive attributes, blockchain offers a powerful solution to the intellectual property challenges faced by creators and users in digital media. Practical recommendations from this study for advancing digital media policy include integrating intellectual property and blockchain components, implementing specialized in-service training programs to build expertise, recruiting expert personnel familiar with both media and blockchain technologies, and forming dedicated committees focused on intellectual property and emerging technologies. These measures aim to create a robust infrastructure that supports innovation, protects rights, and fosters trust among all participants in the digital media landscape.
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