City Protocol is developing a decentralized protocol designed to establish capital market infrastructure for intellectual property (IP), aiming to make IP a more accessible and liquid asset class by bringing it on-chain. The project addresses the historical limitations of IP, which has been confined to royalties, licensing agreements, and fragmented ownership structures, despite being one of the world's most valuable assets. For instance, Disney's market capitalization in the $200–300 billion range highlights the potential value when IP is paired with robust capital infrastructure.
The protocol enables creators to tokenize their IP from the earliest stages, facilitating community participation and access to capital through decentralized mechanisms. It features a full-stack ecosystem that includes IP verification for authenticity and copyright ownership, IP RWA (Real World Assets) strategies for financing and liquidity, an AI and growth scaling engine powered by tools like City ID and Viral City to amplify IP impact, and a launchpad for fair, transparent issuance and trading of IP projects.
Backed by top-tier investors such as Jump Trading, Dragonfly, and CMT Digital, City Protocol's core team brings expertise from leading Web3 projects like Animoca, The Sandbox, Dapper Labs, and Memeland, as well as traditional institutions including HSBC, MediaAsia, and LVMH. This cross-industry background allows the protocol to bridge on-chain innovation with real-world networks, supporting the entire IP lifecycle from birth and growth to maturity through decentralized issuance, community-driven expansion, and on-chain financial instruments.
The vision positions City Protocol as a structural transformation in the IP capital market, reducing friction in IP trading and enabling creators, supporters, and investors to co-create and co-capture value in a single ecosystem. If DeFi brought capital markets on-chain, City Protocol aims to do the same for culture and storytelling, unlocking infinite potential for the IP market.
