특허데이터 분석을 통한 NFT 기술 동향 연구

In recent years, NFT technology has been driving innovations in various fields by providing new benefits from the ownership and trading of digital assets. While there have been studies analyzing the trends in NFT technology based on the literature or from web data collections, this study conducted technological trend analysis with a distinctive approach: collecting patent data. We sought to confirm the correlation between recent innovations in NFT technology and increases in the number of patents. By analyzing NFT patents, we try to understand the current status of, and major trends in, this technology. The analysis targeted NFT-related patents filed globally up to September 30, 2023, and identified 1,142. The trend in NFT patent applications shows that after the first NFT patents in 2019, there were 15 applications in 2020, 278 in 2021, and 682 in 2022. By country, Korea had the highest number of NFT patent applications with 393, followed by China with 287, the United States with 181, and Japan with 70. Time series analysis using ARIMA revealed that the number of patents is steadily increasing in all major countries, indicating strong potential for further development. Technological trends identified through keyword network analysis highlight that blockchain-based NFT patents primarily focus on ownership, transactions, storage, and the management of digital assets based on smart contract systems and on technology mediated by electronic wallets. NFT technology is applied to artworks and content, and there is high interest in its utilization for in-game items and avatars in virtual reality. The NFT market is expected to continue experiencing sustained growth and diversification for integration into emerging industries, necessitating ongoing research and development.