Binded

Binded Inc. operated as a specialized platform focused on simplifying copyright protection for visual artists, including photographers and designers. The company was founded in San Francisco in 2017 by Nathan Lands and Oli Lalonde. This venture emerged from a rebranding of a previous entity known as Blockai, which was originally launched in March 2016 and publicly in July 2016 to utilize blockchain technology for copyright services. The rebranding to Binded was a strategic move to emphasize the service's core function: binding a creator's identity to their digital work.

The platform's primary service was to provide a straightforward method for creators to establish a verifiable record of their copyright. Users could upload their images to a private 'copyright vault', where the service would generate a unique digital fingerprint for each file. This fingerprint was then permanently recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain, creating a timestamped proof of ownership. The objective was to offer a solid piece of evidence in case of future copyright disputes. The service was designed to be accessible, with integrations for platforms like Instagram and Twitter, allowing easy import of creative assets. Binded also offered to monitor the web for unauthorized use of its users' images. The company's business model planned to monetize by providing value-added services, while keeping the core registration feature free.

Throughout its operation, Binded achieved significant milestones, including raising a total of $1.5 million in funding from investors such as Sterling.VC, Social Starts, and Vectr Ventures. By May 2017, the platform had already created 10 million copyright records. The company's journey culminated in its acquisition by Pixsy, Inc., a prominent legal-tech service for online image protection, on September 10, 2019. Following the acquisition, the Binded platform was shut down on September 30, 2019, and its 15,000 users were migrated to the Pixsy platform, which continued to honor the blockchain-based registrations and offered an expanded suite of services, including international copyright registration and infringement case resolution.

Keywords: copyright protection, image rights, blockchain copyright, digital artists, photographers, Nathan Lands, Oli Lalonde, Blockai, Pixsy acquisition, copyright registration, image monitoring, Bitcoin blockchain, intellectual property, creator economy, digital fingerprint, copyright vault