Below is a summary of some of the significant legal and regulatory actions that occurred over the past week. This alert is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all such developments, but rather a selection of publicly-reported news that may be of particular interest.
U.S. Developments
Delaware – Corporate Use of Distributed Ledgers and Smart Contracts
Governor Jack Markell announced the Delaware Blockchain Initiative, which is a suite of programs to expand the use and development of distributed-ledger and smart contract technologies to include use by corporations. Gov. Markell said, “[b]y creating the opportunity for a broad range of corporations – from Fortune 500 companies to startups – to take advantage of distributed ledger and smart contraction applications, we are laying the groundwork for a more modern, secure, and transparent business environment for years to come.” Gov. Markell will elaborate on the details in his opening keynote at Consensus 2016 on May 2nd.
International Developments
Australia – Requests Global Standards for Blockchain Technologies
Australia’s standards authority, Standards Australia, has submitted a proposal to the International Standards Organisation (ISO) requesting global standards for blockchain technologies.