BLOOMEN · Project

Blockchain Tools That Let Media Companies Track, Pay, and Protect Digital Content

digitalPilotedTRL 7

Imagine you're a musician or journalist who posts content online, and someone copies it without paying you — and you have no easy way to prove it's yours or get paid. BLOOMEN built a system using blockchain (the same technology behind Bitcoin) that works like a tamper-proof ledger for media content. It tracks who owns what, handles instant tiny payments when someone uses your work, and makes the whole copyright chain transparent. They tested it with real companies in three areas: news sharing, music broadcasting, and web TV.

By the numbers

$2 trillion

Global entertainment and media industry market size

Pilot use cases validated (news, music, WebTV)

Consortium partners across 5 countries

Total project deliverables produced

62%

Industry partner ratio in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Digital content creators — journalists, musicians, video producers — lose revenue because their work is easily copied and redistributed online without compensation. Current copyright tracking is opaque, payment chains involve costly intermediaries, and creators often wait months for royalties. The global entertainment and media industry is worth over $2 trillion, yet content monetization remains broken for most creators.

The solution

What was built

The project built a blockchain-based platform with multiple components: transaction and payment services, copyright management and monitoring tools, anonymous personalization services with privacy protection, mobile clients, and a web platform with service endpoints. All components went through multiple iterative development cycles (up to 3 cycles) and were tested in three pilots covering news, music, and WebTV.

Audience

Who needs this

Digital news platforms struggling with content theft and unauthorized reuseIndependent music labels needing transparent royalty tracking and faster artist paymentsWebTV and streaming services looking for low-cost paywall and micropayment solutionsContent management system providers wanting to add blockchain-based copyright featuresMedia aggregators needing automated rights clearance and usage tracking

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Media & Publishing

any

Target: Digital news publishers and content platforms

If you are a digital news publisher dealing with unauthorized content reuse and difficulty tracking who shared or monetized your journalists' work — this project developed blockchain-based copyright tracking and micropayment services that let you automatically register ownership, monitor usage, and collect payments when content is reused. The system was validated in a pilot specifically for user-generated content and news sharing.

Music & Entertainment

SME

Target: Independent music labels and digital distributors

If you are a music label or distributor struggling with opaque royalty chains and slow payments to artists — this project built blockchain-enabled services for transparent music copyright management and instant micropayments without intermediaries. The music industry pilot tested digital content broadcasting in open blockchain-enabled markets with established industry players.

Broadcasting & Streaming

mid-size

Target: WebTV platforms and video-on-demand services

If you are a WebTV or streaming platform looking for cost-effective payment solutions with low commission fees and instant transactions — this project delivered cryptocurrency paywall technology and anonymous personalization services that protect viewer privacy while enabling direct content monetization. The WebTV pilot validated media content delivery through cryptocurrency paywalls.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this blockchain solution?

The project data does not include specific licensing fees or implementation costs. However, the system was designed to reduce costs by eliminating intermediaries and enabling low commission fees and instant financial transactions. Contact the coordinator for pricing details.

Can this scale to handle a large media catalogue?

The system was built using blockchain as a distributed database for media copyright information, designed to handle different online user transactions at scale. Three separate pilot use cases — news, music, and WebTV — were operated by established industry players, suggesting the architecture supports real-world volumes.

What is the IP situation — can we license this technology?

BLOOMEN was a consortium of 8 partners across 5 countries, coordinated by Worldline Iberia SA. IP is likely shared among consortium members. As an Innovation Action funded under Horizon 2020, results are typically available for licensing. Contact the coordinator for specific terms.

How does this handle privacy regulations like GDPR?

The project specifically developed anonymous personalization services with privacy-preserving techniques and identity management over blockchain-enabled media delivery platforms. This was iterated through three development cycles, suggesting mature privacy handling.

How long would integration take with our existing platform?

The project delivered both mobile clients and a web platform with service endpoints, both iterated through multiple development cycles. The modular architecture with separate blockchain transaction services, copyright management, and personalization layers suggests integration can be done incrementally.

Is there ongoing support or further development?

The project officially ended in August 2020. The consortium included 5 industry partners and 4 SMEs, some of which may have commercialized components. The project website bloomen.io may have current status information.

What makes this different from existing digital rights management?

Unlike traditional DRM which is centralized and opaque, BLOOMEN uses blockchain as a distributed, transparent ledger for copyright management, monetization, and payments. This removes intermediaries and enables instant micropayments with low commission fees directly between content creators and consumers.

Consortium

Who built it

The BLOOMEN consortium of 8 partners across 5 countries (Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Spain, UK) is heavily industry-oriented at 62%, with 5 industry partners and 4 SMEs — a strong signal of commercial intent. The coordinator, Worldline Iberia SA, is a major payment services company (not an SME), which grounds the project in real fintech operations. With 2 research organizations providing the technical backbone and zero universities, this consortium was clearly built to deliver market-ready solutions rather than academic papers. The 39 total deliverables and multiple iterative prototype cycles confirm serious engineering effort.

WORLDLINE IBERIA SACoordinator · ES
ATHENS TECHNOLOGY CENTER ANONYMI VIOMICHANIKI EMPORIKI KAI TECHNIKI ETAIREIA EFARMOGON YPSILIS TECHNOLOGIASparticipant · EL
DEUTSCHE WELLEparticipant · DE
BLOCKACHAIN IDIOTIKI KEFALAIOUCHIKI ETAIREIAthirdparty · EL
BMAT LICENSING SLparticipant · ES
EREVNITIKO PANEPISTIMIAKO INSTITOUTO SYSTIMATON EPIKOINONION KAI YPOLOGISTONparticipant · EL

How to reach the team

Worldline Iberia SA (Spain) — a major European payment technology provider. Search for BLOOMEN project lead at Worldline for direct contact.

Order a report on this consortium See WORLDLINE IBERIA SA profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore blockchain-based copyright and payment solutions for your media business? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the BLOOMEN team and help assess fit for your specific use case.

Order a report on this topic More in Digital & ICT