Story mainnet is about to be launched, here are 8 potential projects worth paying attention to

Original title: Tell Your Stories Through Story

Original author: Defi 0x Jeff, head of steak studio

Original translation: Ashley, BlockBeats

Editor's note: Story is reshaping intellectual property (IP) management in the Web3 era, giving creators greater control through decentralized registration, authorization, and monetization. This article sorts out the core concepts and popular projects of the Story ecosystem, and shows how it makes IP tradable and collaborative.

The following is the original content (for easier reading and understanding, the original content has been reorganized):

In 1935, Happy Birthday to You was widely believed to be in the public domain—until it was proven otherwise. The Hill sisters actually registered the copyright, which was later acquired by Warner/Chappell Music, which collected high royalties for its use in film, television, and even at public birthday parties. In 2013, documentary filmmaker Jennifer Nelson formally challenged the copyright when she filmed Happy Birthday.

Fast forward to 2018, and Match Group (Tinder’s parent company) sued Bumble, accusing it of copying Tinder’s iconic swipe-to-match mechanic. Bumble, founded by former Tinder employees, fought back with a countersuit, claiming Match Group was trying to acquire it through intimidation. The core dispute? Who owns the right to “swipe right to match.”

By 2021, MSCHF had launched 666 pairs of custom Nike Air Max 97s, named "Satan Shoes," which included Satanic symbols, human blood embedded in the soles, and were linked to Lil Nas X's "Montero" MV. Nike immediately sued, saying that even though MSCHF had independently modified the shoes, the design of the shoes was still based on Nike's registered trademark Air Max.

Regardless of how these cases play out, imagine what would happen if these IPs were registered on @StoryProtocol? Story can ensure fair attribution, streamline the licensing process, and create a more collaborative ecosystem.

More importantly, it can turn these IPs into tradable assets, allowing creators to seamlessly monetize their work while maintaining respect for the original intent.

What is Story?

To understand all the concepts in depth, I recommend reading the whitepaper. But in short, Story provides:

Programmable IP

Story Protocol allows creators to register their intellectual property on the blockchain, making it "programmable." This means that IP rights, licensing conditions, and monetization rules can be encoded into smart contracts to automate licensing and royalty distribution.

Example: As a creator, you can set specific conditions, such as allowing the community to issue meme coins based on this IP, but [x]% of the token supply must be allocated to the original creator. These conditions will be automatically enforced through smart contracts to ensure fair distribution and compliance without the need for intermediaries.

Tokenization of IP

Story tokenizes intellectual property on the blockchain to make it more liquid. Story ensures that any IP asset can always be licensed, traded, and monetized while maintaining legal protection and ownership. This model can financialize IP value and unlock new opportunities for IP holders, investors, and global fans.

Story also has a built-in PT/YT mechanism similar to @pendle_fi, which separates IP ownership (represented by NFT) from cash flow/royalty income streams. This separation provides greater flexibility in IP asset management and monetization. Interestingly, projects similar to Pendle have also appeared in the market, which can be used to tokenize royalty income rights, allowing investors to bet on future royalty income.

Before introducing the core protocol, it is important to emphasize that Story’s ecosystem is becoming one of the most attractive tracks in this cycle. With diversified use cases and strategic partnerships, Story L1 may host a number of heavyweight intellectual property rights, including hits from top global artists, a huge IP universe co-created by the community (perhaps challenging Star Wars), and AI-generated IP ecosystems.

Popular Story Ecosystem Projects

Aria

IP Tokenization + RWAs (Real World Assets) = Super Combination

Aria puts top IPs like Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” on the blockchain, allowing anyone to invest in or build on their favorite songs, books, movies, artwork, patents, brands, AI training data—virtually any asset.

Currently, Aria has tokenized two IPs, including Miley Cyrus & Dua Lipa’s "Prisoner".

These IPs were part of Aria’s Aria Premiere Launch in partnership with @Stake_Stone, which raised $7 million in 9 minutes. The funds were used to acquire over 50 select publishing and performance rights and generate revenue through Web2 royalty streams, Story, Aria, and StakeStone.

Market rumors have it that a top Korean idol brand (whose name starts with B) may be the next acquisition target.

IPdotWorld

Remember Chill Guy and his $CHILLGUY meme coin issued by an anonymous user on CT? The original author "Philip Banks" tried to protect his rights, but ultimately failed.

This is where @ipdotworld comes in - it provides a platform to tie meme coins to real intellectual property. When meme coins are issued, a certain percentage of the supply will be reserved for verified IP holders, ensuring that creators get the rewards they deserve.

Verio

@verio_story is the $IP staking layer / IP verification service in the Story ecosystem.

By staking $IP, users can endorse the authenticity of their assets and help filter out fake IP applications. Similar to Ethereum’s restaking mechanism, $IP staking uses crypto-economic trust mechanisms to verify intellectual property rights.

$vIP (LST version) is similar to stETH and can be used in the DeFi system of the Story ecosystem.

Jutsu World

@JutsuTCG is an on-chain card game in the Story ecosystem. It uses an enhanced version of ERC404 and provides a dynamic reinvestment mechanism to enhance the gaming experience.

Projects that will issue tokens/NFTs on the Story mainnet

Benjamin / Unleashed

@BenjaminOnIp is the first DeFAI agent of the Story ecosystem and is committed to becoming the DeFi entrance of the Story ecosystem.

Managed by @UnleashProtocol, the leading money market and IP launch platform for the Story ecosystem.

Unleash Protocol plans to develop AI agents into personalized IP characters, not just mascots or memes, and may even interact with characters such as Thomas Shelby or Steve Jobs.

Benjamin is about to launch a token sale on @FjordFoundry, expected to be live within 24 hours.

What the Freg

@WhatTheFreg is the first AI agent meme coin in the Story ecosystem, utilizing Story’s TCP/IP standard (the protocol that allows AI agents in the Story ecosystem to trade IP with each other).

It is Pepe’s mortal enemy and aims to challenge the fake pirate meme culture in Web3.

SoloAI

@SoloAI_Agent, powered by @sequoia, is an AI-powered music creation platform that makes it easy for anyone to create music, without the need for a professional background.

Mimboku

@mimboku_story is a top NFT project in the Story ecosystem (similar to Bit Bears on @berachain).

This will be the first OG-level collectibles series in the Story ecosystem, and it is "possible" to receive airdrops and incentives from other projects.

The minting date has not yet been determined, but is expected to be shortly after the Story mainnet launch.

If you actively participate in Discord discussions, or create high-quality content/memes/art, you still have a chance to get whitelisted (WL).

Summarize

The Story ecosystem is becoming one of the most exciting innovations in Web3. Whether it is music, memes, AI or trading cards, Story is building a programmable and liquid IP economic system that allows creators to control their own future.

The Story mainnet will be launched soon, so stay tuned!