1st Edition

Blockchain Technology and the Law Opportunities and Risks

By Muharem Kianieff Copyright 2019
    226 Pages
    by Informa Law from Routledge

    226 Pages
    by Informa Law from Routledge

    Blockchain Technology and the Law: Opportunities and Risks is one of the first texts to offer a critical analysis of Blockchain and the legal and economic challenges faced by this new technology. This book will offer those who are unfamiliar with Blockchain an introduction as to how the technology works and will demonstrate how a legal framework that governs it can be used to ensure that it can be successfully deployed.



    Discussions included in this book:



    - an introduction to smart contracts, and their potential, from a commercial and consumer law perspective, to change the nature of transactions between parties;



    - the impact that Blockchain has already had on financial services, and the possible consumer risks and macro-economic issues that may arise in the future;



    - the challenges that are facing global securities regulators with the development of Initial Coin Offerings and the ongoing risks that they pose to the investing public;



    - the risk of significant privacy breaches due to the online public nature of Blockchain; and



    - the future of Blockchain technology.



    Of interest to academics, policy-makers, technology developers and legal practitioners, this book will provide a thorough examination of Blockchain technology in relation to the law from a comparative perspective with a focus on the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.



    Acknowledgements



    CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION



    CHAPTER 2 OVERVIEW OF BLOCKCHAIN AND THE TRUST PROBLEM



    CHAPTER 3 INTRODUCTION TO BLOCKCHAIN-BASED TRANSACTIONS AND SMART CONTRACTS



    CHAPTER 4 BLOCKCHAIN AND CONSUMER PAYMENT MECHANISMS



    CHAPTER 5 BLOCKCHAIN GOVERNANCE AND ERROR CORRECTION ISSUES



    CHAPTER 6 BLOCKCHAINS, INITIAL COIN OFFERINGS AND THE CHALLENGES FACING SECURITIES REGULATORS IN NORTH AMERICA



    CHAPTER 7 THE PRIVACY LAW IMPLICATIONS OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGY



    CHAPTER 8 WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR BLOCKCHAIN?



    Index





    Biography

    Dr Muharem Kianieff is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Windsor, Canada. Professor Kianieff works in the area of banking law and payment mechanisms. He specialises in Blockchain, financial technologies, payment mechanisms, consumer protection, financial reform and privacy.