Techcrunch reports that a new startup called Ascribe has raised $2m to adapt the blockchain technology behind Bitcoin to protect digital artwork:

The founders, Bruce Pon, Trent McConaghy, and Masha McConaghy have experience in banking, hardware, and curation. Masha, a Ph.D. from the Sorbonne, curated at the Louvre and ran galleries in Europe and Canada. […]

“The idea to use blockchain to allow artists to create digital scarcity germinated in mid-2013 when Trent and Masha asked ‘Can you own digital art, like you own bitcoin?’ Trent built a prototype in fall-2013. In mid-2014, we decided to leave our companies to start Ascribe full-time. Since then, we’ve been refining the technology and working with early users.”

Ascribe Raises $2 Million To Ensure You Get Credit For Your Art (TechCrunch)