We are pleased to release an updated edition of our smart contracts white paper, originally published in May 2017. The updated white paper surveys the current academic and industry landscape related to smart contracts, and discusses the key legal issues surrounding smart contract applications. Authors of the white paper are Dax Hansen, Partner and Chair of the Blockchain and Digital Currency and Fintech industry groups, Carla Reyes, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at the Stetson University College of Law and Faculty Associate, Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, and Laurie Rosini, Associate with the Blockchain and Digital Currency industry group.
The paper consists of four sections:
- Updated introduction to DLT-based smart contracts;
- A review of current academic and industry literature on smart contracts, which includes industry initiatives such as the Accord Project, OpenLaw, the Stanford Computable Contracts Initiative and the Smart Contract Alliance, and State legislative efforts related to smart contracts;
- Emerging use cases touching on different legal regimes; and
- Updated risk mitigation checklist for businesses developing applications using smart contracts.