> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://dominiumxyz.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://dominiumxyz.gitbook.io/docs/overview/explain-like-im-five.md).

# Explain Like I'm Five

A simple, non-technical explanation of Dominium.

A simple explanation of Dominium

***

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Under construction.** Dominium is currently in development.

These docs describe our vision and planned functionality.

Follow [@dominiumxyz](https://twitter.com/dominiumxyz) for official announcements.
{% endhint %}

***

## What is Dominium?

Imagine you drew a really cool picture. You want to share it with people, but you also want to make sure:

1. Everyone knows YOU drew it
2. If someone wants to use it for something (like putting it on a t-shirt), they have to ask you first
3. If they make money from your picture, you get some too

That's what Dominium does, but for grown-ups and their valuable creations—like characters, music, inventions, and data.

***

## The Problem

Right now, when companies want to use someone else's creation, it's really complicated:

* They have to find the right person to ask
* Hire lawyers to write up agreements
* Wait months for approvals
* Hope the other person actually pays them

It's like if every time you wanted to trade Pokemon cards, you needed your parents, a lawyer, and three months of waiting. Nobody would trade!

Because it's so hard, most valuable creations just sit in drawers, never used. We call this "dark IP" (IP stands for Intellectual Property—fancy words for "stuff people create").

***

## How Dominium Fixes It

Dominium is like a magical trading card book that:

1. **Proves you own something**: When you put your creation in the book, everyone can see it's yours
2. **Sets your rules automatically**: You decide "anyone can use this for $100" or "only for games, not movies"
3. **Collects money for you**: When someone uses your creation, you get paid instantly—no asking, no waiting
4. **Works with robots too**: AI companies that want to learn from your creations can do it safely, and you still get paid

***

## The Special Secret Room (TEE)

Here's a cool part: Sometimes AI companies want to learn from your pictures, but you don't want them to keep copies.

Dominium has a "special secret room" (we call it a TEE—Trusted Execution Environment). The AI can go into this room, look at your pictures, and learn from them. But it can NEVER take the pictures out of the room. It's like letting someone study from your textbook in the library, but they can't photocopy any pages.

***

## How It All Works Together

```
You create something valuable
         ↓
Register it on Dominium (set your rules)
         ↓
Someone wants to use it
         ↓
They pay automatically (you get $$$)
         ↓
They get a license (NFT) proving they can use it
```

***

## Real Examples

**The Cartoon Character**

Someone created Grumpy Cat pictures. Instead of calling lawyers every time someone wants to use Grumpy Cat, they put it on Dominium. Now when a game company wants Grumpy Cat in their game, they just click a button, pay automatically, and start making the game. Easy!

**The Photo Collection**

A photographer has thousands of beautiful photos. AI companies want to use them to teach AI how to make art. The photographer puts them on Dominium. AI companies can learn from the photos in the "secret room" (TEE), but can never steal the actual photos. The photographer gets paid every time.

**The Big Company**

A big company has 10,000 inventions they never use. That's like having 10,000 toys in your closet that no one plays with! They put them all on Dominium. Now other companies can find and use those inventions, and everyone wins.

***

## Why This Matters

Every year, billions of dollars worth of creative work sits unused because licensing is too hard. Dominium makes it as easy as buying something online.

And as AI gets smarter and hungrier for data to learn from, we need a fair way to make sure creators get paid. Dominium is that fair way.

***

## Next up

* Start here: [Introduction](/docs/overview/introduction.md)
* Concrete scenarios: [Use cases](/docs/overview/use-cases.md)
* Common questions: [FAQ](/docs/overview/faq.md)