Tributary

Demo Video - https://www.canva.com/design/DAG-fNyessI/SxQMA2WZj7hkkN0B_sR0TA/watch?utm_content=DAG-fNyessI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hb0bd0c2c5e 

Pitch Deck - https://www.canva.com/design/DAG8CLdh3J0/0mBXdKZn_1A4XvnjSTQNTQ/view?utm_content=DAG8CLdh3J0&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=hd5c9cd1ff2

One Pager Pitch - https://docs.google.com/document/d/16g3QSWa7bqanZwbi7P4ljIr65Ewk-CLJciNU7ZPA_hY/edit?usp=sharing

Tributary is a cross-chain IP royalty tokenization platform built on Story Protocol that enables creators to tokenize their intellectual property revenue streams and sell fractional shares to investors. The platform bridges Story Protocol's IP infrastructure with broader DeFi ecosystems through Hyperlane cross-chain messaging, creating liquid markets for a previously illiquid asset class.

The IP Liquidity Problem:

Intellectual property generates billions in royalties annually, but creators typically wait years for payments while having no way to access capital against future earnings. Investors, meanwhile, lack access to IP as an asset class—there's no way to buy fractional exposure to a song's streaming revenue or a patent's licensing fees. Tributary solves both sides: creators get upfront capital, investors get yield-generating RWA exposure.

Story Protocol Integration:

Story Protocol provides the foundational IP infrastructure—registration, licensing, royalty tracking, and derivative management. Tributary builds on top of this with:

- IP Registration: Creators register intellectual property on Story Protocol, establishing on-chain provenance

- License Management: Purchase licenses directly through the platform, enabling derivative works with proper attribution

- Royalty Tracking: Story Protocol's royalty module tracks revenue across all derivative uses

The platform uses Story Protocol Core SDK (v1.4.2) for all IP interactions, ensuring compatibility with the broader Story ecosystem.

Royalty Vault Tokenization:

When creators tokenize their IP, Tributary creates a royalty vault representing claims on future revenue:

1. Creator deposits IP registration to vault

2. Vault mints ERC-20 tokens representing fractional ownership

3. Investors purchase tokens during funding round

4. As royalties flow in, token holders claim pro-rata share

5. Tokens trade freely on secondary markets

This transforms illiquid IP into a tradeable, yield-generating asset class.

Cross-Chain Infrastructure (Hyperlane):

Tributary implements comprehensive Hyperlane infrastructure enabling IP tokens to move between Story Protocol (chain ID 1315) and Avalanche Fuji (chain ID 43113):

Core Contracts Deployed:

- Mailbox: Message passing between chains

- MerkleTreeHook: Merkle proof verification for message authenticity

- InterchainSecurityModule (ISM): Validates cross-chain messages

- ValidatorAnnounce: Validator set management

- TestRecipient: Message handling on destination chain

IP Token Bridge:

- HypNative (Story): Locks native IP tokens when bridging out

- HypSynthetic (Fuji): Mints synthetic representations on destination chain

This warp route architecture ensures IP-backed tokens can access Avalanche's DeFi ecosystem while maintaining backing on Story Protocol.

Cross-Chain Swap Aggregation:

Tributary aggregates quotes from multiple DEX and bridge protocols to find optimal swap routes:

- 1inch: DEX aggregation for on-chain swaps

- LiFi: Cross-chain swap routing

- CoW Protocol: Intent-based trading with MEV protection

- Across Protocol: Fast bridge with competitive fees

The frontend fetches quotes from all sources in parallel, presenting users with the best rate accounting for slippage, gas costs, and bridge fees.

Bot Infrastructure:

The bot/ package handles automated operations:

- Royalty Distribution: Monitors Story Protocol for incoming royalties, triggers vault distributions

- Price Feeds: Maintains IP token price data for portfolio valuation

- Webhook Handlers: Processes real-time events from Story Protocol and bridge contracts

Built with Express.js and better-sqlite3 for local state management, with scheduled jobs via node-cron.

Smart Contract Architecture:

```

contracts/

├── RoyaltyVault.sol # IP revenue tokenization

├── VaultFactory.sol # Creates vaults per IP asset

└── LicensePurchaser.sol # Story Protocol license acquisition

hyperlane/

├── core/

│ ├── Mailbox.sol # Cross-chain messaging

│ ├── MerkleTreeHook.sol # Proof verification

│ └── ISM.sol # Security module

└── warp/

├── HypNative.sol # Lock tokens on source

└── HypSynthetic.sol # Mint on destination

```

Frontend Application:

The Next.js 16 frontend provides:

- Creator Dashboard: Register IP, create vaults, track royalty flows, manage distributions

- Investor Portal: Browse IP assets, purchase vault tokens, monitor yields, trade positions

- Bridge Interface: Move IP tokens between Story and Avalanche with real-time status

- Swap Aggregator: Compare rates across protocols, execute optimal routes

Built with React 19, TailwindCSS 3.4, Framer Motion for animations, and React Hook Form with Zod for type-safe forms. Vitest handles unit testing, Playwright for E2E.

License Purchasing Flow:

Users can purchase Story Protocol licenses directly through Tributary:

1. Browse available IP with licensing terms

2. Select license type (commercial, derivative, etc.)

3. Pay license fee in supported tokens

4. Receive on-chain license NFT

5. Create derivative works with proper attribution

This integrates IP commerce directly into the platform, creating additional revenue for vault token holders.

Why Cross-Chain Matters:

Story Protocol is purpose-built for IP but has limited DeFi infrastructure. By bridging to Avalanche (and potentially other EVM chains), IP tokens can:

- Trade on established DEXes with deep liquidity

- Serve as collateral in lending protocols

- Integrate with yield aggregators

- Access broader investor base

Hyperlane's modular security model allows customizing trust assumptions per route, balancing speed and security based on transaction value.

Deployments

- MockUSDT - 0x5a8Ba59Fcc42Cb80f4c655C60F8a2684543FB3A2

- RoyaltyVaultFactory - 0x1D00e9fEC4748e07E178FaF1778c4B95E74CDA30

- RoyaltyMarketplace - 0x8e25b6a75907F8DDf28e15558759802d7922A898

- TributaryAMM - 0xee4c62bb881cF0364333D5754Ef0551a39BA4426