Comparison with Unlock

[michielbdejong]

This is interesting: https://unlock-protocol.com/

[michielbdejong]

From what I understand, I think the idea behind Unlock's "blockchain magic" can be understood in multiple layers:
Simplest approach:
As a creator, you paywall your work so that it can only be consumed by consumers who have both the URL and a password. You then provide the URL for free, but sell the password via an e-commerce site.

Slightly improved approach:
Instead of selling the same password string to each customer via your e-commerce website, give each customer a different one (e.g. what PGP does is generate a key for a symmetric cipher, and cipher that for each recipient with their public key). That way each key is traceable to a specific purchase from your e-commerce website.

Add bundles:
The key doesn't open just 1 URL, but several ones (or, the resource at the URL changes over time).

Combine with subscriptions:
The 'bundle of items' is a feed of episodes over time.

Add timers:
Add an extra check, so that the key can be made to fail if the key has expired or was revoked.

Add a secondary market:
Let the keys be traded freely in a secondary market, and instead of checking for who purchased a specific key, check for who currently owns it. Smart!

Pretty neat! I think we might be able to copy parts of it into our 402 work (although the secondary market would require a move away from acl:PayingAgent and linking access to specific WebID identities.

Unlock puts the secondary market on Ethereum, but is that essential? I guess a nice feature of that is that a consumer who refuses to log in to your web shop can still buy a second-hand key on Ethereum, and that way you as a creator have no way of knowing who currently owns a given key. Just like when second-hand books change owner multiple times!

[julien51]

Hi @michielbdejong ! I think this is a pretty accurate description with one caveat: instead of giving a "unique" password to everyone, the creator just requires them to have special NFT in their wallet which proves that they are members (i.e. have paid for that membership...)

The "NFT" part is actually the really important part: it's the member's card: the thing you "show" when you want to get in, or be recognized "as a member".