Licensing, Copyright, and Royalties Explained in the Context of a C2E.

Licensing, copyright, and royalties are related concepts in the field of intellectual property, but they each have distinct meanings and roles. 

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Licensing

Licensing refers to the process of granting permission to use intellectual property, such as copyrighted works, trademarks, or patents, to another party. It involves an agreement or contract between the owner of the intellectual property (licensor) and the party seeking to use it (licensee). The license outlines the terms and conditions under which the licensee can utilize the intellectual property, including the scope, duration, territory, and any limitations or restrictions. In exchange for the license, the licensee usually pays a fee or royalty to the licensor.

In the world of a C2E, the marketplace initiates the licensing process when a buyer purchases a C2E. The Buyer is granted a license to the particular C2E during the buying process.

Copyright

Copyright is a legal right granted to the creators of original works, such as literary, artistic, musical, or dramatic works, giving them exclusive control over the use and distribution of their creations. It automatically applies to original works as soon as they are fixed in a tangible form, such as writing a book or composing a song. Copyright protection grants the creator certain exclusive rights, including the right to reproduce, distribute, display, perform, and create derivative works based on the original. Copyright generally lasts for the life of the author plus a specific number of years after their death, varying from country to country.

In the world of a C2E, the creator of a C2E generates the copyright for a C2E. A C2E may include other licensed materials where royalties are paid based on the sale of derivative works.

Royalties

Royalties are the payments made to the owner of intellectual property by another party (often referred to as a licensee) for the authorized use of that property. Royalties are typically a percentage or a fixed amount of money agreed upon in a licensing agreement. The payment of royalties serves as compensation to the owner for granting permission to use their intellectual property. Royalties can be based on various factors, such as the number of units sold, the usage duration, or the revenue generated from the licensed work. They are commonly associated with copyrighted works, but they can also apply to other forms of intellectual property, like patents or trademarks.

A robust Identity and Access Management (IAM) system plays a vital role in enhancing the security and protection of C2Es (Curriki Educational Experience). Each C2E undergoes encryption to ensure access is safeguarded. Opening a C2E necessitates the use of a reliable decryption service. The decryption service will only operate if the requester’s identity matches the licensee’s identity associated with the specific C2E. In the case of C2Es licensed to groups or organizations, additional authentication measures will be implemented. These measures enable a single licensee to act as a proxy for a class or organization. However, it is important to note that proxy-based licensing requires explicit permission from the creator or copyright holder.

Curriki is currently collaborating with IndyKite to prototype an Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution beyond traditional security measures. The goals for C2E include:

• Leveraging open-source federated identity solutions widely used in academic and research institutions tha enables Single Sign-On (SSO) across multiple organizations by using SAML-based authentication and attribute-sharing mechanisms.
• Leveraging open-source identity and access management solutions that support self-custodial, federated identity through multiple protocols such as SAML, OpenID Connect, and OAuth. The C2E specification requires features like SSO, user federation, and social login integration.

IndyKite/C2E Custom Identity Provider
Through a collaborative effort with IndyKite, we are developing methods to establish a custom identity provider, and granting users access to C2E services such as the C2E Wallet, the Core API, the C2E Writer, and C2E Player, starting with:

OpenID Connect (OIDC) provider for social logins. This functionality allows integration with and utilization of third-party OIDC providers for authentication by participants in a C2E ecosystem.

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