Technology and the Law
Wide Open Spaces
How blockchain has moved beyond currency.
By Ronald L. Chichester
Bitcoin is an open-source1 network for an alternative
currency and used as a payment system for digital assets. In 2009,
someone under the alias “Satoshi Nakamoto” developed a cryptographic
mailing list software application and released the source code for that
application under an open-source license. Bitcoin is a “purely
peer-to-peer version of electronic cash,” according to Nakamoto, that
“would allow online payments to be sent directly from one party to
another without going through a financial institution.”2
Digital cash is not new. In the past, however, there was always the
need to engage a trusted third party that had to maintain a ledger of
the transaction. But with bitcoin, each transaction is verified by
multiple nodes on a network that records the transaction on a publicly
distributed ledger called a blockchain.3 The blockchain
technology employed by bitcoin eliminates the need for a third party to
be involved in (or record) the transaction. In essence, the third-party
verification process has been automated using the blockchain.
The remarkable rise in popularity of bitcoin has been described
adequately in many papers,4 books,5 and even
movies.6 In contrast, this article will identify different
uses of the blockchain technology for areas other than currency that
have legal ramifications, such as the automated recording of contract
compliance7 in business law, real estate, software licensing,
family law,8 voting,9 and parole conditions in
criminal law.
Blockchains Explained
Blockchains require multiple parties and a shared infrastructure. The
first requirement is a network. The internet is a suitable network,
although depending upon the application, something as small as a local
area network is acceptable. Next, three or more parties each need to
have a device that is connected to the network and those devices must be
running software derived from the aforementioned open source software
application.10 Once the applications are running and can
communicate over the network, then transactions can take place and be
recorded. It is the peer-to-peer character of the blockchain that
distinguishes it from centralized ledgers used by financial
organizations. The following two diagrams illustrate the
distinction.
Figure 1 illustrates a traditional arrangement between two parties that,
for business purposes, require some type of certification authority. In
the scenario of Figure 1, a producer generates a product for a consumer.
The consumer will want to verify the authenticity or quality of the
product, however, and this is accomplished through the use of a third
party, namely the certifying agent.
Figure 2 illustrates the centrality of the blockchain between multiple
organizations in lieu of a certification authority. In essence, a
blockchain can be used to automate or decentralize the certification
authority.
The process for adding something to a blockchain is illustrated in
Figure 3. The process of adding to the blockchain starts when a person
or organization wishes to add a (signed) contract to a blockchain (step
1). The person puts a copy of the contract into the blockchain software,
which in turn generates a “block” (step 2). The block is then placed
onto the network (step 3), and its presence is broadcast to all of the
devices that are connected to that network (step 4). The devices that
are connected to the network then “approve” of the placement as “valid”
(step 5). Once validated, the block is then added to the blockchain so
that an indelible and transparent record of the block is available on
the blockchain (step 6). Interested parties can then retrieve the block
and verify its authenticity (step 7). Note, removal of one block breaks
the chain, which accounts for the indelible nature of the
blockchain.
As illustrated, the blockchain technology is well suited for digital
currency. However, this same technology can be employed wherever two
individuals (or organizations) wish to have a verified transaction of
something of value.
Blockchains in Business and Law
Blockchains are an obvious choice for organizations that need to
record transactions and do so in an automated and inexpensive way. Take
the scenario involving a software license when its owner is a developer
who is a solo or small operation whose longevity is in question by a
much larger customer (who depends upon that software for critical
operations). In such a case, the customer often requires that the
software developer deposit the current version of the code base to an
escrow agent as updates are made available so that the large
organization can be assured of continued critical operations if the
developer dies or otherwise discontinues development or maintenance of
the software.
With blockchains, the software developer can avoid the expense and
encumbrance of the software escrow agent by providing an encrypted file
of the source code of the application to the customer through the
blockchain (in exactly the same manner that bitcoins are transferred).
Similarly, if an escrow event is triggered, the cryptographic key for
the software can be sent to the customer using the same blockchain
method.
In another example, a marriage was performed at Walt Disney World in
Orlando, Florida, in 2014, wherein the nuptials were submitted to a
blockchain. (The couple was legally married in a civil ceremony.) The
marriage was “performed and registered without the involvement of any
government or religious organization.”11
There is no reason to think that links within a blockchain could not
be admissible in court. While an expert may be needed to opine on the
authenticity of the particular blockchain and the specific transaction,
there is nothing inherently different about blockchains than other
software programs.12 Moreover, the mere presence of the
transaction on the blockchain may obviate the need for litigation in the
first place, and certainly could automate discovery and thus reduce
litigation costs. Finally, there are also techniques (besides
encryption) that can be employed to keep the contents of the agreement
secret yet still enjoy the benefits of blockchains.
The blockchain model provides a public evidentiary mechanism for
actions undertaken by parties. In other words, they can be used as a
public recording of actions taken (or not taken) by a party in an
agreement. Because the blockchain method is implemented with software,
the transactions can be embedded into existing software systems, thereby
leveraging automation, with the records contained within being
admissible in court. Thus, blockchains can potentially reduce costs and
risks associated with the monitoring or existence of agreements between
individuals and organizations.TBJ
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RONALD L. CHICHESTER is a registered patent attorney, certified computer forensic examiner, expert witness, and certified information systems auditor. He is a past chair of the Computer & Technology and Business Law sections of the State Bar of Texas. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in aerospace engineering from the University of Michigan and earned his J.D. at the University of Houston Law Center. |