Animation IP & Provenance
Your animation is more than a file. It's your intellectual property.
ToonProof IP & Royalty Vault helps animators, illustrators and studios register, prove, control, share, license and monetize digital animation assets in the AI era.
Animation-aware provenance, permissions and rights management for the AI era.
- 01Animation Asset
- 02Fingerprint
- 03Provenance
- 04Permissions
- 05Certificate
- 06Licensing
- 07Royalty
About
Built for the people who create animation
Animation creators produce real IP
Every production leaves behind valuable intellectual property, long before anything reaches a screen.
- Characters
- Rigs
- Expression sheets
- Walk cycles
- Animation sequences
- Backgrounds
- Style guides
- Other digital animation assets
What today's systems do not prove
Existing low-cost and fragmented systems do not adequately prove:
- When an asset was created
- Who created it
- What the asset contains
- How it can be used
- Whether parts of it have been reused
- Whether it has been used in derivative work
- Whether AI systems have permission to use it
- How usage can connect to licensing and compensation
A clearer technical record
ToonProof is designed to provide a clearer technical record across the full life of an animation asset. It does not guarantee legal ownership and does not automatically determine copyright infringement.
- Creation
- Provenance
- Rights
- Permissions
- Usage
- Licensing
- Compensation
Team
The people behind ToonProof
Founder
Surya Sai Srujan Thota
- Working 2D animator, 10 years of experience
- Experience across Green Gold, including Chhota Bheem
- Experience with ChuChu TV
- Experience with Byju's
- Master's degree in Animation
- Computer Science Engineering degree
Surya provides the animation-domain expertise behind the product and acts as the bridge between animation workflows and technology. The business plan identifies him as the product and domain expert, and the source of the inventive concepts behind the six intelligence engines.
Product vision · Animation-domain logic · Innovation direction
CTO
Santosh Kumar Chintakindi
- UK-based principal full-stack engineer
- 12+ years of experience
- Experience in fintech, healthcare and payments
- Experience associated with Lloyds/Scottish Widows, Conjure/NHS and Orbital
- UK Master's in Computer Science
Santosh leads how ToonProof is built, from architecture through to the security of the platform.
Technical architecture · MVP development · Cloud · Security · Engineering team
Platform
Six intelligence engines. One rights-aware animation workflow.
ToonProof's innovation is based on combining six intelligence engines into a single workflow around an animation asset.
Animation Asset DNA Engine
Multiple signals are combined into a unified Animation Asset DNA, establishing a single technical identity for an animation asset.
- Cryptographic hash
- Perceptual hash
- Semantic embeddings
- Style embeddings
- Shape signature
- Motion signature
- Rig-graph signature where applicable
- Provenance record
- AI-permission token
Rig Graph Similarity Engine
Structural rig information can be analysed to help identify potential structural reuse, even when the visual artwork has changed.
- Bone hierarchy
- Controllers
- Deformation networks
- Mouth and eye controls
- Parent-child relationships
- Symmetry
- Other structural relationships
Not perfect detection.
Motion DNA Engine
Animation behaviour is analysed to help identify potentially reused animation movement.
- Key poses
- Transitions
- Trajectories
- Timing
- Acceleration
- Bounce
- Gestures
- Loop periodicity
Style-Imitation Risk Engine
Visual characteristics are evaluated to produce a similarity and risk assessment intended to identify potential style imitation.
- Line quality
- Stroke character
- Colour palette
- Shading
- Shape language
- Facial proportions
- Texture
- Composition
- Depth
This does not legally determine copyright infringement.
AI Permission & Licensing Engine
Creator consent can be represented through machine-readable policies. Structured permission information is designed to travel with the asset.
- Commercial production
- Internal reuse
- Education
- Derivatives
- Marketplace distribution
- AI training
- Royalty-based AI output
Not universal enforcement across every AI system.
Provenance-to-Royalty Engine
Designed to connect originals, derivatives, rigs, motion assets, licensed productions, AI datasets, generated outputs and transactions.
- Originals
- Derivatives
- Rigs
- Motion assets
- Licensed productions
- AI datasets
- Generated outputs
- Transactions
Royalties are not guaranteed.
MVP product maturity
The initial MVP focuses on secure upload, asset classification, cryptographic and perceptual fingerprinting, timestamped provenance, sharing controls, certificate export and the AI-permission layer. Advanced rig-graph, Motion DNA and style-imitation capabilities are research-led capabilities planned to be added over time.
How it works
From creation to proof, control and monetisation
- 01
Upload & Classify
Creators upload their digital animation assets and classify what they are protecting.
- 02
Verify & Timestamp
The asset receives technical fingerprinting and a timestamped provenance record.
- 03
Set Usage & AI Permissions
Creators define how their assets may be used, including relevant AI permissions.
- 04
Share With Control
Creators can share assets while maintaining records of permissions and sharing.
- 05
Certify
Creators can generate and export provenance certificates associated with the registered asset.
- 06
License & Earn
Usage and licensing connect toward a pathway for creator compensation and royalties. Income is not guaranteed.
Who it's for
Intended users
Freelance Animators
Protect characters, animation assets, motion and creative work.
2D Rig Artists
Create stronger records around rig structures and asset reuse.
Illustrators
Establish provenance around original digital artwork.
Small Animation Studios
Manage team-level rights, assignments, tracking and certification.
Students & Emerging Creators
Build strong IP and provenance habits early.
Studios & Agencies
Support rights-cleared asset and contributor records.
AI Platforms & Dataset Buyers
Support documented creator permissions and provenance for AI-related use cases.
Initial market
The UK animation ecosystem first
ToonProof's initial focus is the UK animation ecosystem. The reason for the UK beachhead is the founder's animation experience, network and credibility. The business plan describes Year 1 as a validation and soft-launch year rather than an aggressive sales sprint.
- Animators
- Illustrators
- Motion Designers
- Game Artists
- Studios/Agencies
- AI Platforms
Market Pricing
Market Pricing
The business-plan pricing structure. Two initial revenue sources: recurring subscriptions across four creator tiers, and usage-based provenance certificates. Subscriptions are the primary revenue source.
Creator / Starter
£12/month
Year 1 business-plan price
Studio
£39/month
Year 1 business-plan price
Pro / Team
£99/month
Year 1 business-plan price
Agency / Education
£249/month
Year 1 business-plan price
Provenance Certificate
£6per certificate
Business-plan projections
Projected figures, not actual revenue| Revenue stream | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Creator/Starter subscriptions | £5,118 | £50,014 | £108,467 |
| Studio | £5,629 | £61,922 | £145,268 |
| Pro/Team | £6,495 | £65,494 | £154,824 |
| Agency/Education | £4,901 | £49,418 | £138,941 |
| Provenance certificates | £5,905 | £80,049 | £193,691 |
| Projected total revenue | £28,048 | £306,897 | £741,191 |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
The questions animators, illustrators and studios ask us most about provenance, rights and the pilot programme.
Digital animation assets — rigs, character models, motion files, storyboards, sequences and renders. Each asset gets a unique fingerprint plus a provenance record showing who made it, when, and how it may be used.
No. ToonProof is provenance and rights infrastructure. The records are tamper-evident and verifiable, but you do not need crypto wallets, tokens or on-chain transactions to use the vault.
Every asset carries machine-readable permissions stating whether AI training is allowed. Combined with fingerprinting and provenance certificates, you have both a declared stance and evidence of authorship if your work appears where it should not.
No. Assets are registered as you export them, and the vault sits alongside your existing tools. Studios can register in bulk; individual creators can register asset by asset.
You do. ToonProof never claims rights over registered work. The vault records and proves your ownership — it does not take a share of it.
Each asset can carry licence terms and a royalty rule. When an asset is shared or licensed through the vault, the terms travel with it and usage is logged so payments can be reconciled.
Yes. We are onboarding a small group of animators, illustrators and studios. Request a pilot below and we will get in touch with next steps.
Pilot Programme
Help shape the future of animation IP.
We are onboarding a first group of animators, illustrators and studios to register real assets, test provenance certificates and shape how licensing and royalties work in the vault.
- Early access to the vault and provenance certificates
- Direct input into permissions and licensing design
- Founding pilot pricing when we launch
- Hands-on onboarding for your pipeline
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