Recently, there was a real boom in the digital content market. The number of photos, music, and video on the network is growing at an enormous rate every day.

However, this market is extremely centralized. Some companies control most of the distributions. This means that content authors transfer their rights to it and most of their income to these platforms.

Creating high-quality content is very expensive. But material can and is costly to sell if you do not resort to the help of intermediaries. That's why the authors of content seek to find independent ways to promote and disseminate their work. They want to cover the maximum number of people and at the same time keep the maximum possible percentage of profits.

Decentralized trading platforms allow authors to license their content directly to customers while retaining full control over their rights.

Problem

Currently, content authors transfer the rights to their work to appropriate agencies that will distribute content on their behalf. Most individual photographers do not have enough popularity to attract customers directly, so they are forced to use the services of intermediaries.

The ideal scenario for authors will be the licensing of content directly to customers. This will allow you to receive income in full, retain all rights, provide control and prevent manipulation of data. But this does not work, because it is too expensive and too difficult for authors, which makes it impossible to reach potential buyers and compete with large agencies/markets and with large marketing platforms offering different content, which contributes to a large selection of users.

Every year, trading platforms tighten the rules of the game. As a result, content authors retain fewer rights and, as a consequence, revenues.

WEMARK: Solution 

Wemark - This is an Israeli start-up (also based in San Francisco, USA), developing an innovative digital content distribution system based on the blockchain, which implements the concept of a "decentralized market".

Wemark's distributed approach to digital content is based on the following principles:

• Authors license their content directly to users;
• The authors retain all rights to their content and control its price;
• The authors determine the terms of distribution and fees.

Sites for the sale of content receive the right to distribute it by "signing" a digital distribution agreement with the authors. This agreement will set the price range for content licensing; a license will be created for users, and the amount of remuneration to the platform for distribution will be established.

Referral programs will help authors and trading platforms reach a wider audience, which, naturally, will increase the overall profit.

How it works?

Wemark intends to develop a new model of the digital content economy, corresponding to the interests of the entire community (authors, customers, and markets) and based on the protocol of the blockchain.

The protocol is based on a set of smart contracts developed for the distributed exchange of digital content. The protocol replaces the primary responsibilities in today's content markets such as:

• License payments, income distribution, access to the content repository;
• Distribution agreements;

Wemark's distribution agreements will allow content authors to collaborate with trading platforms on a win-win system.

Each contract will include a range of prices for content licensing, the terms of issuing licenses to users, fee allocation systems, interest rates for each sale. After signing the contract in electronic form, it is integrated into the blockchain. After integration, unilaterally, you can not change, delete or reject the terms of the agreement. They can only be changed by mutual consent.

Unlike traditional contracts, innovative smart-distribution agreements are self-regulating. Smart-agreements (based on smart-contracts Ethereum) can accept payments, issue licenses and automatically distribute profits.

Automatic profit sharing

Today, traditional trading platforms are also an aggregator of content, which facilitates their control over payments and cash flow between all parties.

Using the WEMARK (WMK) cryptocurrency, users wishing to license their content receive payment in accordance with pre-established rules that are not controlled by the market. A set of smart contracts based on blockchain automatically distributes payments to counterparties on the initially agreed terms.

Thus, the "intermediary" is liquidated and replaced by an automatic, impartial organization that works in the best interests of the parties.

This creates trust and transparency - vital elements of a business.

Blockchain

Blockchain and its technology (unchangeable registry, smart contract, cryptocurrency) will be able to replace the traditional channels of digital content distribution. Also, modern methods of distributing digital content will help authors to get a large audience. Blockchain marks a new era in which the main content distribution functionality is integrated as follows:

• Licensing of content on behalf of the author;
• Providing direct user access to content;
• Rewarding marketplaces, and referrals for the promotion of the author's content.

Ultimately, the blockchain is becoming an intermediary indirect transaction between authors and clients.

Prospects

The Wemark protocol will work on blockchain Ethereum, which supports smart contracts and digital tokens. Wemark will continuously improve the infrastructure for its community and help the economy of digital content.

Token and ICO

Wemark introduces a special token to maintain the ecosystem of digital content. Token Wemark (WMK) is intended for use as a native payment system, which rewards all participants for creating, distributing and promoting digital content.

Details of the Wemark token

Emission: 135 million
ICO start: May 7, 2018
End: May 21, 2018
Soft cap: $ 1.5 M
Hard cap: $ 8M

The emission of new Wemark tokens is not provided. Any unsold tokens will be eliminated, which will only reduce the total number of tokens.

Distribution of Tokens

135M Wemark tokens will be presented at the ICO. 38% of the total amount is planned to be sold, 37.5% will be reserved for the development of Wemark. The remaining funds will be used to reward the team, founders, advisers, and partners.

You can find detailed information on the following links:
Official website
Whitepaper
Bitcointalk ANN Thread
Bitcointalk Bounty Thread
Telegram
Twitter
Facebook
Bitcointalk Username: CapnBDL