DID + VC for book authenticity

Publishers: make every edition and copy verifiable.

Link your ISBN to a cryptographically signed Book Edition VC, issue per-copy tokens at print time, and let distributors, customs, libraries, and readers scan a QR to validate authenticity.

Create account & start issuing How it works

Keep ISBN as the bibliographic ID. Add a VC layer for authenticity, provenance, and status.

Edition credential (excerpt)
{
  "type": ["BookEditionCredential"],
  "issuer": "did:web:veritrust.vc",
  "credentialSubject": {
    "isbn": "978-7-123456-78-9",
    "title": "示例图书 / Sample Book",
    "publisherDid": "did:veritrust:publisher:cn001",
    "edition": "2025 1st CN",
    "print_run": 10000
  }
}
ISBN remains the key; VC adds signature, status, and revocation.

Problems we solve

  • Counterfeit or unauthorized print runs
  • No cryptographic proof that a copy matches the licensed edition
  • Paper COAs and invoices are easy to forge
  • Customs and retailers lack a machine-checkable signal
Who benefits

Publishers & rights-holders — control and prove print runs.

Printers — prove their batches are legitimate.

Distributors & retailers — source from verified stock.

Libraries & readers — scan for authenticity and edition.

How it works for publishers

1
Issue Book Edition VC

Create a VC per ISBN/edition: title, author, publisher DID, print run, and validity term.

POST /publishers/edition/issue
2
Tag copies at print

Apply per-copy QR/NFC/watermark carrying a short token bound to the Edition VC.

token: JWS-compact + serial
3
Verify anywhere

Customs, retailers, libraries, and readers scan to see status: green/yellow/red with edition details.

GET /verify/book/{isbn or token}

Short use scenarios

Counterfeit prevention

Retailers only accept stock with green VC status; bootleg runs get flagged on scan.

Supply-chain trust

Distributors hold batch Ownership VCs; disputes resolved by signed records.

Library intake

Libraries auto-verify donor copies before cataloguing; provenance is logged.

Reader trust

Readers scan to confirm edition, publisher, and recall status before purchase.

Create account & start issuing

  1. Register publisher entity and obtain a Veritrust DID.
  2. Upload ISBN catalogue or connect ONIX feed.
  3. Issue Book Edition VCs per ISBN.
  4. Print QR/NFC per copy; ship with CoC PDF linking to verify page.
Create account

Benefits

  • Real-time authenticity signal for regulators & retailers
  • Traceable print runs tied to publisher DID
  • Fast recalls and takedowns of bad batches