This paper explores the potential of blockchain technology in revolutionizing intellectual property (IP) protection and its implications for sustainable development goals, particularly those related to peace, justice, and strong institutions. By providing a transparent and immutable ledger for tracking IP ownership, blockchain offers a secure platform to combat fraud and misrepresentation in IP transactions. Additionally, smart contracts can automate IP enforcement, further enhancing protection measures. Beyond IP protection, blockchain fosters transparency in copyright ownership and transactions, facilitating fair compensation for creators (...) and discouraging piracy. However, challenges such as accessibility and regulatory hurdles remain. Despite these limitations, integrating blockchain in IP protection offers transformative opportunities to establish equitable systems, enhance trust, and streamline processes. Collaboration and standardized frameworks are essential for maximizing blockchain's potential in IP protection and advancing sustainable development goals. (shrink)

Rashīd al-Dīn Ṭabīb (d. 1318) has been called the “first world historian” because of how foreign historical sources are treated in the second volume of his Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh. New manuscript materials have shown, however, that his contemporary courtier and historian, ʿAbd Allāh Qāshānī, is likely the real author of much of the Jāmiʿ. This article advances the discussion about the creation of Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh by describing and analyzing an alternate version of Rashīd al-Dīn’s introduction to the collection. This alternate introduction, (...) preserved in a single manuscript in Munich, suggests that Rashīd al-Dīn initially had a very different purpose in mind for his world history than what has come down to us, envisioning it not as an ecumenical description of the world but as a programmatic argument for his patrons’ sovereign legitimacy. Examining this alternate introduction forces us to rethink Rashīd al-Dīn’s historiographical motive. It also helps answer open questions about the structure of Jāmiʿ al-tawārīkh, its production, and how Qāshānī’s text came to be included in it. (shrink)