Story Protocol, an onchain platform focused on intellectual property (IP), and OpenLedger on Thursday, January 29, announced a new standard intended to let artificial intelligence (AI) systems legally use creative work and pay the people who own it.
Under the partnership, IP registered on Story Protocol can be licensed for AI training and AI-generated output. Meanwhile, OpenLedger – an AI-native blockchain – will enforce these licenses within AI systems and send payments to rights holders.
The companies are also building a shared onchain standard that records who owns the work, how it can be used and who gets paid, according to a press release from The Defiant.
Increasing use and growing lawsuits
The announcement comes as the number of AI-related lawsuits continues to increase, with many AI-related lawsuits set to revolve around IP by 2025. That’s because once creative work is used by AI systems, it becomes difficult to track how the work is used or ensure creators are paid, leaving many rights holders with little recourse.
These problems are becoming more pronounced as the global IP market itself expands. The market, which includes digital rights and real-world data, is estimated to be worth more than $80 trillion, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Global Innovation Index 2025.
“AI cannot scale based on aggregated data and legal ambiguity,” says a team representative at OpenLedger. “If intelligence becomes an economic infrastructure, intellectual property must be respected, traceable and monetized by default. This partnership brings enforceable rights directly into the AI execution layer.”
The companies also noted that their system is designed to ensure that AI models only use licensed material, with usage auditable afterwards. “It represents a shift from ‘train now, litigate later’ to ‘use only what you can prove you are authorized to use,'” the release said.
Story Protocol’s native token IP is down about 9% over the past 24 hours, but still posted gains over the past month, according to CoinGecko. OpenLedger’s native token OPEN also fell about 7% that day.