Intellectual Property Protocol Story to Launch Mainnet and Native Token IP for Digital Property Protection

Web3 intellectual property (IP) protocol Story has announced the launch of its mainnet on February 13, alongside its native token, IP, designed to help creators monetize content and protect digital property.

In a February 11 post on X, Story confirmed the imminent launch, marking a significant step toward decentralized IP ownership.

The IP token will support transactions, governance voting, and creator payouts, beginning with an initial staking phase called “Singularity.”

Story’s IP Token Launches with 1 Billion Supply

Story’s native token has a total supply of 1 billion, and staking rewards will commence on March 2, following the staking phase.

Several leading exchanges, including Bitget, Bithumb, Bybit, KuCoin, Coinbase, and OKX, have already announced plans to list the IP token.

According to a post on the project’s forum, the mainnet launch represents a milestone in decentralized digital ownership, allowing creators to register, license, and monetize their content on-chain.

Story aims to make intellectual property programmable by offering an open market where rights holders can define licensing terms and payments.

While fees are paid in cryptocurrency, creators can cash out in their local currency.

Story’s blockchain-based approach allows creators to directly register their work, automate licensing, ensure revenue-sharing, and prevent unauthorized use—eliminating intermediaries.

The project was founded in 2022 by former Google DeepMind product manager Jason Zhao, who identified challenges with AI-generated content.

He previously noted that AI remixing tools lack sustainable business models for content creators and IP holders.

“In the age of AI, IP will play a critical role in tokenizing the $61 trillion IP asset class,” Story stated in a February 7 post.

Introducing $IP, the native token of Story's L1!

In the age of AI, $IP will play a critical role in tokenizing the $61T IP asset class.

58.4% of $IP will be devoted to Ecosystem & Community, Foundation, and Initial Incentives.

More on ꧁IP꧂👇 pic.twitter.com/IbwTlWdawV

— Story (꧁IP꧂) (@StoryProtocol) February 7, 2025

The Story Protocol has already onboarded over 50 applications, including Magma, a collaborative digital art platform with 2.5 million users.

It is worth noting that Story has attracted major venture capital backing from firms like Andreessen Horowitz, Polychain Capital, Hashed, and Samsung Next.

The project secured $29 million in seed funding in May 2023, $25 million in a Series A round in September 2023, and an additional $80 million in Series B in August 2024.

Growing Need for Digital Property Protection

The protection of digital property within the cryptocurrency space has become increasingly vital as the industry evolves.

Several initiatives and frameworks have been developed to address the challenges associated with safeguarding digital assets and intellectual property.

For one, TokenPatronus is a decentralized anti-theft mechanism specifically designed for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

It offers pre-event protection, in-event interruption, and post-event recovery enhancements for NFT transactions.

The system includes modules such as decentralized access control, risk management, and arbitration to provide comprehensive protection for digital assets.

CopyrightLY is another decentralized application aimed at authorship and copyright management.

It allows creators to claim content authorship, store content and metadata in decentralized storage, and register this information on the blockchain.