Digital tools for the protection of intellectual property rights: a case study of blockchain and artificial intelligence

Introduction: the article is devoted to the analysis of digital tools, namely blockchain and artificial intelligence systems, used to protect the rights and legitimate interests of authors on the Internet; the focus of the study is on the application of these technologies as auxiliary tools in international commercial arbitration. The concept of Intellectual Property (IP) has been around for centuries. The established practices in creators' protection, sharing of created works, transfer, and licensing were developed based on the 'analog world' of printing presses and labor-intensive manufacturing. The active development of information and communication technologies has changed the situation radically. In the era of global digitalization and the rapid spread of the Internet, cases of illegal use, copying, and distribution of protected objects of intellectual property have reached colossal proportions, which poses a threat not only to the authors themselves but also to global economic development in general. This situation leads to a large number of disputes, both national and cross-border, in the field of protection of rights to the intellectual activity results.