'ID cards' for virtual people in cyberspace
Cangcheng TV and Film Industrial Park
Virtual people in cyberspace will also have "ID cards." Cangcheng TV and Film Industrial Park in Songjiang District and Shanghai Electronic Certification Authority Co Ltd (Shanghai CA Center) have reached a strategic cooperation to jointly establish the Laboratory for Digital Trust Application of the Metaverse of Film and Television.
"In this cooperation, we will focus on discussing appropriate technical and business models to be applied in the making of films and TV programs in the digital era," said Chen Xuchun, manager of Shanghai Cangcheng Cultural and Creative Development Co., Ltd.
What exactly is the digital trust technology? To put it simply, Chen explained, it could be taken as an ID card in the physical world.
"In our daily life, we use ID cards to prove our identity. But in cyberspace, it is actually a problem how to prove 'I am me' according to existing technology. So we need to make an 'ID card' for each virtual character," he pointed out.
For example, if a virtual idol holds a concert in metaverse, there must be a series of questions, such as how to divide the spoils, to determine the ownership of copyright, to attribute the benefits and some others.
"There are no clear standards in the industry so far. To some extent, this cooperation is committed to jointly setting up an example of film and television metaverse-related technologies in Shanghai and even the whole country," Chen said.
Cangcheng TV and Film Industrial Park is home to more than 4,900 TV and film-making companies, generating an annual output value that accounts for one third of the whole nation. From 2019 to 2020, nearly 10,000 hours of Chinese film and television products were sold to more than 100 countries and regions.
"In addition to the virtual ID card, the laboratory will take full advantage of the rich film and television resources in the industrial park to develop related metaverse-concept products," Chen noted. "It will precisely connect the upstream and downstream industrial partners in the digital trust application field, so that Chinese film and television industry can enter a new era."
