Canopyright is a blockchain-based web app helping create a fairer cannabis industry by facilitating cultivar contracts. It is a tool for cannabis breeders to protect their cultivar IP, as well as a marketplace for rare cannabis genetics. Breeders and cultivators already create cultivar licensing contracts, this just makes it more secure and less expensive.

Anyone can use the time-stamping cultivar registration to save their leaves (homegrowers and licensed producers alike, given that they are in a region that allows cannabis cultivation). But the contracts are only available to licensed cannabis producers and nurseries in the US.

We are hoping to raise funds to expand internationally, i.e. a nursery in one country could create a contract with a grower in another country and export it to them (all within legal bounds).

The platform is built on Hedera Hashgraph ($HBAR) and uses Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) and encryption to ensure the privacy of our users. The privacy aspect is very important to folks in this industry, not only because of the legal status, but also because cannabis breeders have to protect their strain IP, which is easily stolen and (prior to canopyright) expensive to legally protect.

TLDR / Why should you care?

If you love cannabis: This project will eventually make your weed selection at your local dispensary better. You will experience more variety in your strain choices, and corporations will not be able to trample small farmers because this offers a way for small farmers (legacy operators) to stand up for themselves.

If you love biodiversity: Canopyright promotes biodiversity through disruption of the agricultural supply chain. We are starting in the cannabis sector to break even, then will use the tech for more categories including conservation of rare plant species.

If you support social equity and disrupting the wealth gap: This puts the power back in the hands of the people by making something that was previously only accessible to the elite (plant IP protection) accessible to all.

DeSci-specific statements: Canopyright enables plant scientists to earn an equitable share of profits from their work, connect with the greater scientific community, and share data and insights without fear of misappropriation. Canopyright makes cultivar IP more resistant to control by central authorities by providing a free way to establish prior art through frozen, self-stored, plant DNA samples. And by providing low cost IP contracts for royalty-based compensation. Canopyright ensures that data is in the control of the person who enters it. They can choose to make it open source, but we do have to allow for confidentiality due to the legal status of the plant. They can switch their data to open source when they are ready (or rather, when their region is ready, but still have the original timestamp to refer to.) Canopyright allows users to negotiate payment in whatever form they prefer.