BlockchainDigitalSignatures-2017

Exploring the admissibility of cryptographic digital signatures created with the key pair also used for a public blockchain address

Blockchain Digital Signatures Mock Trial

Mock Trial Landing Page: https://mocktrial.github.io/BlockchainDigitalSignatures-2017

law.MIT.edu and Massachusetts Legal Hackers are planning a mock trial event to explore admissibility of digital signatures executed using the same cryptographic key pair used with a public blockchain address.

We plan to include more issues as part of a broader mock trial event planned for the fall of 2017 in collaboration with partners in the fields of law (including a law school and bar association) and technology (including blockchain and UI/UX). However, the event on July 12th will be narrowly focused upon exploring the steps required to lay the legal foundation necessary for blockchan-backed digital signatures to be properly admissible as evidence.

For a high level overview about mock trials, including how to enter evidence under the rules of procedure, check out our Links and Resources Wiki Page.

Scope of Focus: Admissibility of Evidence

The scope is narrowly focused on laying a proper foundation to admit a digital signature into evidence as part of a contract breach case. The idea is to postulate a case deliberately designed to be as routine as possible, other than the twist that a blockchain-backed cryptographic digital signature was used to execute the contract.

Legal issues will include articulating and managing the steps needed to:

Technical Scope

Technical issues will include having working code and other resources needed to:

Contextual Scope

Contextual issues will include:

Practical Scope

Practical issues will include:

Background Links

MIT Open Research Project

MIT Legal Hackers Research Project on Blockchain-Backed Cryptographic Digital Signatures:

MIT Open Source Code

MIT Prototype Open Source Code for Executing Blockchain-Backed Cryptographic Digital Signatures:

Massachusetts Legal Hackers Project on Legal Standing of Blockchain-Backed Cryptographic Digital Signatures:

Volunteer

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