DATA
Data Network
$0.1909
6.46%
Data Network
DATA
$0.1909
6.46%
Data Network Price Converter
Data Network Information
Data Network Markets
About Data Network
DATA is the native token of DATA Network, the Layer 1 blockchain formerly known as Story Network. The IP token was renamed DATA on 25 June 2026, with native balances converting automatically at a 1:1 ratio and existing staking positions remaining unchanged. DATA is used to pay transaction fees, stake or delegate to validators and take part in governance. It supports on-chain actions involving data provenance, confidential access, intellectual property registration and licensing. Commercial licence, royalty or data payments may use other supported tokens, while DATA covers the network fee. DATA Network was developed from Story Protocol by PIP Labs, co-founded by Seung Yoon “SY” Lee and Jason Zhao, and is stewarded by The DATA Foundation.
The DATA Foundation is the organisation that stewards DATA Network, a base-layer blockchain previously known as Story Network. On 25 June 2026, Story announced that Story Foundation would become The DATA Foundation, Story Network would become DATA Network and the native IP token would be renamed DATA. Native IP balances convert to DATA automatically at a one-to-one ratio, with no manual token swap required. Existing balances, staking positions and network integrations remain in place.
The rebrand reflects a shift towards data used in artificial intelligence. DATA Network provides infrastructure for sourcing, documenting, licensing and processing human-contributed data. Apps and data providers can register records on the network with information about where the data came from, the consent provided by contributors, applicable licence terms, payments and later changes. The underlying files and contributor identities can remain private while evidence about the data is recorded on-chain.
The network includes two main services:
- Trace: A public audit and search system for records registered on DATA Network. Trace can show a record’s content hash, consent record, licence version, payment status and activity history without publishing the underlying confidential data.
- Poseidon: A data-processing system that cleans and structures submitted data, checks its source and licence status, assesses quality and packages records into datasets for AI developers.
The intellectual property technology developed under the Story name remains part of DATA Network. Users can register works as IP Assets, attach licence conditions, issue licence tokens and record relationships between original and derivative works. The Programmable IP License maps legal licence terms to smart contracts, covering matters such as commercial use, derivative works and revenue sharing. This system can be applied to creative works as well as rights connected to datasets.
DATA Network supports Ethereum-compatible smart contracts. Its execution layer is based on Geth, while its consensus layer uses the Cosmos SDK and CometBFT. Validators and delegators stake DATA, with the active validator set selected according to the amount staked.
DATA is the native token of DATA Network and replaces the IP ticker. It has three main functions:
- Transaction fees: DATA is used as gas for transactions on the network. These include token transfers, smart contract interactions, data registrations and actions involving IP Assets or licences.
- Staking and network security: Validators stake DATA to participate in consensus. Tokenholders can also delegate DATA to validators. Validators may receive block rewards and can lose part of their stake for actions such as double-signing blocks or extended downtime.
- Governance: DATA tokenholders can take part in governance decisions. The DATA Foundation supports the DATA Foundation DAO, carries out approved tokenholder decisions and manages grants, treasury functions and network development under the governance framework.
DATA should not be treated as the required payment asset for every licence, royalty or dataset transaction. It pays the network fee for the associated on-chain action, but licence payments can use approved ERC-20 tokens. The DATA Protocol’s data-payment infrastructure also supports contributor payments denominated in stablecoins.
The ticker change does not alter the number of tokens held by existing IP holders. Native IP converts automatically to DATA at a one-to-one ratio and existing staking positions retain their duration and status. DATA is the network’s native asset, so it does not have an ERC-20 contract address.
DATA Network is the continuation of Story Network, whose core development team is PIP Labs, also known as Pen Technology Inc. Story Protocol was publicly introduced in August 2023 in a paper by Jason Zhao, Jason Levy and Seung Yoon “SY” Lee. PIP Labs lists SY Lee as its co-founder and CEO, while Story’s official materials have identified Jason Zhao as a co-founder.
Following the rebrand, The DATA Foundation is responsible for stewarding DATA Network and Trace, supporting governance and maintaining the network’s open infrastructure. Andrea Muttoni became CEO of the Foundation as part of the change. Avi Patel, founder and CEO of the data marketplace Kled, joined the Foundation as Chief Data Officer while continuing to lead Kled. PIP Labs remains the core development team contributing to the network’s software.
