Swisscom AG is one of the Switzerland's largest telecommunication provider, and it has announced a blockchain-based art dealership system.
Claiming it to be the world's first blockchain-based art gallery, Swisscom wants to use the technology to ensure that ownership is properly handed to buyers, and that artists are getting paid for their work.
The platform is called 'NOOW'.
According to Swisscom website:
The technology is meant to secure arts that lack copy protection systems.
With TV screens are increasingly being used to show digital arts in hotels, restaurants, offices and private spaces, the changing sequences or animations create a unique ambience, which can be considered "a moving form of art."
Digitization however, has enabled digital art to be copied without any reduction in quality, essentially eroding the value of an original.
Simply put, arts that are shown on screen, such as screensavers on computers, can easily be pirated from the internet.
For those arts, NOOW's role is to become their protection systems by preventing them from being used illegally. With NOOW, the owner of the art can receive a certificate of authenticity and knows how many copies of their work exist.
Starting May 23rd, 2019, NOOW is made available as an app exclusively on Swisscom TV (UHD-ready TV-Box from Swisscom), to then include 100 works by 30 international artists – selected by curator Stefanie Marlene Wenger.
What seems to be just a simple virtual gallery, the The NOOW app enables viewers to select the pieces and purchase a certified copy.
This decision would then be taken to limit the number of works it will be showed on screens.
NOOW is powered by Ethereum’s ERC 721 tokens, which differ from ERC 20 tokens in that they are non-fungible or unique.
"Swisscom TV is one of the first providers in the world to offer art on the TV screen. We are delighted to have Swisscom on board for this courageous project," said dloop CEO Tom Rieder. "NOOW is making digital art into a collector’s object and creating a value for it."
The next step would be to include those art exhibits to the platform, and create close collaboration with galleries.
According to Swisscom, the company has partnered with more than 300 channels, a huge selection of films, series and sports on demand, and apps, to appeal its customers. With NOOW, the company is including the distribution of digital arts as part of its business.
