Sony is betting on blockchain as a copyright protection tool in the era of generative AI. The corporation-backed project Soneium has announced the launch of a licensing system for AI companies that will enable automatic payment of remuneration to content creators when their works are used by neural networks. The initiative coincided with a critical drop in key network metrics.
The essence of the proposal: ERC-8432 and automatic payments
Soneium, developed jointly with the Japanese crypto company Startale, proposes that authors register their works on the blockchain. This will give AI programs the ability to verify license terms in a machine-readable format and automatically make payments to rights holders. At its core lies the ERC-8432 standard — a proposal for the Ethereum network that allows works to be licensed without intermediaries.
In addition to licensing, the ecosystem provides investment mechanics: fans will be able to invest funds through tokens in the Moriusa character franchise, and a partnership with the K-pop company DayOneDream will open up investments tied to concert royalties.
"We will help them finance new projects on a completely different level," said Yuji Kumagai, head of the Soneium protocol.
Financial reality: TVL collapsed by more than 90%
However, against the backdrop of ambitious plans, the network's statistics look alarming. Since the beginning of 2025, the total value locked (TVL) in Soneium has declined by more than 90%. According to DefiLlama, deposits in DeFi applications fell by 95%: from $203 million in May 2025 to approximately $9.4 million.
The four largest applications — Kyo Finance, Sonex, Untitled Bank, and Sake Finance — managed approximately $159 million at their peak. Now they account for about $1.5 million. In a single day, the network processed 163,691 transactions but generated only $118 in revenue.
Context: Sony's legal wars with AI
The initiative appears to be a logical continuation of Sony's legal strategy. In July, Sony Music filed a renewed lawsuit against the AI music generator Udio, alleging infringement of rights to more than 30,000 recordings. If the court sides with the corporation on all counts, the total compensation could exceed $4.5 billion. Notably, Universal Music and Warner Music have already concluded licensing agreements with Udio — but without using blockchain.
Soneium has not yet named a single AI company willing to join the system, and the launch of the $SONEIUM token has not been confirmed.
Cryptalist analysis: Sony's initiative reflects an emerging trend toward blockchain infrastructure for intellectual property protection in the AI era, but the absence of confirmed partners and the catastrophic decline in TVL give rise to justified skepticism. The market will have to assess whether Soneium becomes a viable standard for monetizing copyright or remains a declaration of intent — the key factor will be the willingness of major AI developers to voluntarily integrate ERC-8432.