A decentralized Intellectual Property registry built on Stellar Soroban smart contracts using Pedersen Commitments and Atomic Swaps.
In engineering, proving "Prior Art" across borders is expensive, slow, and lawyer-dependent. Atomic Patent lets you claim an idea instantly — without revealing it to competitors — and sell it globally without intermediaries.
Atomic Patent is a Zero-Knowledge IP registry on Stellar. Engineers, inventors, and creators can:
- Commit a cryptographic hash of their design/code to the blockchain
- Prove they had the idea at a specific timestamp — without revealing the idea
- Sell the patent trustlessly via Atomic Swap — the buyer gets the decryption key in the same transaction they send payment
This Soroban implementation makes Atomic Patent:
✅ Trustless (no lawyers, no notaries, no central registry) ✅ Private (Pedersen Commitments hide your idea until you choose to reveal it) ✅ Instant (timestamp your IP in seconds, not months) ✅ Global (a mechanical engineer in Lagos can sell a design to a firm in Tokyo — no intermediary needed)
- Claim IP: Commit a Pedersen hash of your design to Stellar with a verifiable timestamp
- Prove Prior Art: On-chain proof that you held the idea before a specific date
- Atomic Sale: Sell your patent via Atomic Swap — payment and decryption key exchange in one transaction
- Trustless Verification: If the decryption key is invalid, the payment fails automatically
- Borderless: Works for any creator, anywhere, with a Stellar wallet
- Rust (1.70+)
- Soroban CLI
- Stellar CLI
- Node.js (16+) and npm (for JS layer testing)
./scripts/build.shRun all tests (Rust + JS):
# Run Rust tests
./scripts/test.sh
# Run JS tests
npm test
# Run JS tests with coverage
npm run test:coverage
# Watch mode for JS tests
npm run test:watchThe JS test suite covers batch operations (cancellation, dispute resolution, fee calculation, etc.) and SDK modules.
# Configure your testnet identity first
stellar keys generate deployer --network testnet
# Deploy
./scripts/deploy_testnet.sh
Latest testnet deployment addresses are published in GitHub Actions deployment summaries. Deployments are triggered automatically on release tags (v*).
- Architecture Overview
- Commitment Scheme
- Atomic Swap Flow
- Threat Model & Security
- Integration Guide for Wallet Providers
The src/ JavaScript modules use JSDoc annotations (@param, @returns, @typedef) rather than a full TypeScript migration. This was a deliberate choice (#883):
- No build step required. JSDoc works with the existing ESM + Jest setup without adding
tsc,ts-jest, or a compilation stage. - IDE intelligence. VS Code and WebStorm resolve JSDoc types for autocompletion, go-to-definition, and inline docs — the primary tooling benefit of TypeScript without the migration cost.
- API-server integration. Rust integrators can read the
@param/@returnsshapes directly from the source to understand the expected JSON structures, without needing to run a TypeScript compiler. - Low friction for contributors. Adding JSDoc to existing JS files is a one-file change with no dependency on type infrastructure; a TypeScript migration would require per-file changes across the entire
src/tree plus CI changes.
Future migration path: if the project adopts TypeScript, the existing JSDoc annotations act as a specification that can be mechanically converted with tsc --allowJs --declaration --emitDeclarationOnly. The decision to migrate fully to TypeScript should be tracked as a separate issue and is not blocked by the current JSDoc coverage.
Release notes are generated automatically from commit messages and PR metadata. Push a tag in the format v* (e.g., v1.2.0) to trigger the release workflow.
commit_ip(owner, commitment_hash) -> u64 // Timestamp a new IP commitment
get_ip(ip_id) -> IpRecord // Retrieve an IP record
verify_commitment(ip_id, secret) -> bool // Verify a commitment against a secret
list_ip_by_owner(owner) -> Vec<u64> // List all IP IDs for an owner
reveal_and_verify_commitments(requests) -> Vec<VerifyResult> // #458: Verify multiple commitments by revealing secret+blinding_factor (not ZK)
batch_verify_commitments(requests) -> Vec<VerifyResult> // #780: Verify multiple commitments with a real ZK (Pedersen+Schnorr) proof
assign_ip_to_category(ip_id, category_hash) // #459: Assign IP to a hierarchical category
list_ip_by_category(owner, category_hash) -> Vec<u64> // #459: List IPs in a category
list_owner_categories(owner) -> Vec<BytesN<32>> // #459: List all categories for an owner
// #464: Anonymous Batch Commitments
batch_commit_ip_anonymous(blinded_owner, commitment_hashes) -> Vec<u64> // Register commitments without revealing submitter
get_anonymous_owner(commitment_hash) -> Option<BytesN<32>> // Retrieve blinded owner for anonymous commitment
get_blinded_owner_batch(commitment_hashes) -> Vec<Option<BytesN<32>>> // Batch lookup of blinded owners
// #465: Batch Escrow
batch_escrow_commitments(depositor, ip_ids, release_to, timeout) -> BytesN<32> // Escrow multiple IPs for conditional release
get_batch_escrow(escrow_id) -> Option<EscrowRecord> // Retrieve escrow record
release_batch_escrow(escrow_id) // Release escrowed IPs to beneficiary
cancel_batch_escrow(escrow_id) // Cancel escrow after timeoutinitiate_swap(ip_id, price, buyer) -> u64 // Seller initiates a patent sale
accept_swap(swap_id, payment) // Buyer accepts and sends payment
reveal_key(swap_id, decryption_key) // Seller reveals key; payment releases
cancel_swap(swap_id) // Cancel if key is invalid or timeout
// #470: Price Oracle Integration
set_oracle(caller, oracle_address, enabled) // Admin sets the price oracle contract
get_oracle_config() -> Option<OracleConfig> // Query current oracle configuration
get_oracle_price(token) -> i128 // Fetch current price from oracle
initiate_swap_with_oracle_price(...) -> u64 // Initiate swap at oracle-determined priceThe src/ directory contains the JavaScript/TypeScript batch operations and SDK modules that complement the Soroban smart contracts. This layer provides:
- Batch Operations: Efficient multi-swap processing, cancellation, and dispute resolution
- SDK Modules: Type-safe interfaces for interacting with the on-chain contract
- Analytics: Fee calculation, reputation scoring, and transaction analysis
- Testing: Comprehensive Jest test suite covering all batch workflows
Install dependencies:
npm installRun the full JS test suite:
npm testRun tests with coverage report:
npm run test:coverageRun tests in watch mode (useful during development):
npm run test:watchThe test suite covers:
- Batch swap cancellation logic
- Dispute resolution workflows
- Fee calculation and escrow handling
- Multi-currency support
- SDK module integration
For more details on the architecture and design patterns, see Architecture Overview.
Comprehensive test suite covering:
✅ IP commitment and timestamping ✅ Pedersen commitment verification ✅ Atomic swap initiation and acceptance ✅ Key reveal and payment release ✅ Invalid key rejection and payment refund ✅ Error handling and edge cases
Run tests:
cargo testIntellectual property protection today requires expensive lawyers, slow national patent offices, and jurisdiction-specific filings. This locks out independent inventors and engineers in the Global South from protecting and monetizing their ideas.
Blockchain Benefits:
- No central authority to bribe, delay, or deny
- Cryptographic proof of prior art — accepted anywhere
- Atomic Swap eliminates counterparty risk in patent sales
- Accessible to anyone with a Stellar wallet
Target Users:
- Independent engineers and inventors
- Open-source contributors protecting prior art
- Startups in emerging markets
- Any creator who can't afford a patent attorney
- v1.0 (Current): XLM-only swaps, Pedersen commitment registry
- v1.1: USDC/EURC payment support for patent sales
- v2.0: Partial disclosure proofs (reveal claims without full design)
- v3.0: Frontend UI with wallet integration
- v4.0: Mobile app, legal document generation
We welcome contributions! Please:
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.
- Stellar Development Foundation for Soroban
- The global engineering community building without borders
- Drips Wave for supporting public goods funding