TEPCO's Crowd-Sourcing Power Pole App Sparks IP Dustup

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) faces an intellectual property dispute over an app called "PicTrée - Grid Grab," which encourages users to identify faulty power poles in exchange for rewards. The app, developed in partnership with Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA), reportedly bears striking similarities to an existing app called "Tekkon" from the Whole Earth Foundation (WEF), which also motivates crowdsourced infrastructure inspection. WEF is reportedly considering legal action against TEPCO and its partners, while the municipal government of Maebashi has withdrawn its involvement in the PicTrée app's testing phase.

TEPCO's Crowdsourced Power Pole Inspection App Faces IP Dispute

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, finds itself embroiled in a brewing intellectual property (IP) dispute over its recently launched mobile application, "PicTrée - Grid Grab: Capture the Current-." The app, developed in collaboration with Singapore-based Web3 entertainment firm Digital Entertainment Asset (DEA) and joint venture Greenway Grid Global, has drawn comparisons to the popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go.

PicTrée encourages users to explore their communities and upload images of aging public infrastructure, including utility poles, steel towers, manholes, and handholes. These contributions are rewarded with Amazon gift certificates and PlayMining's DEAPcoin ($DEP) token. The app was conceived to address a labor shortage of utility pole inspectors, exacerbated by Japan's aging population and subsequent restrictions on overtime work.

TEPCO's "Gamified Work" model, championed by DEA founder Kozo Yamada, seeks to leverage gamification to streamline labor-intensive tasks in various industries. However, the PicTrée app has come under fire from Whole Earth Foundation (WEF), a Japanese non-profit organization, for its striking resemblance to WEF's own app, Tekkon. Released in 2022, Tekkon has partnered with other power providers and facilitated urban exploration events, garnering hundreds of participants.

Striking similarities between PicTrée and Tekkon extend beyond their shared focus on infrastructure inspection and rewards system. Both apps feature a "utility pole challenge," prompting users to photograph and submit images of these structures. According to local media reports, WEF is contemplating legal action against TEPCO and its partners.

The Maebashi municipal government, where PicTrée was scheduled to undergo a multi-month demonstration, has withdrawn its involvement amid the IP dispute. The controversy surrounding PicTrée highlights the complexities of IP protection and the ethical implications of crowdsourcing in the digital age.

As Japan grapples with a shrinking workforce and aging infrastructure, innovative solutions are sought to maintain essential services. However, the balance between leveraging technology and respecting intellectual property rights remains a delicate one. The outcome of the PicTrée-Tekkon dispute will undoubtedly shape the future of crowdsourced inspections and gamified work models in Japan and beyond.