Scalable, Secure and Broad-Spectrum Enforcement of Contracts, Without Blockchains

04/22/2019

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by   Naftaly Minsky, et al.

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This paper introduces a scalable and secure contract-enforcement mechanism, called Cop, which can be applied to a broad range of multi-agent systems including small and large systems, time-critical systems, and systems-of-systems. Cop enforces contracts (or protocols) via the existing Law- Governed Interaction (LGI) mechanism, coupled with a new protective layer that significantly enhances the dependability and security of such enforcement. Cop is arguably superior to the currently popular blockchain-based smart-contract mechanisms, due to its scalability, interoperability, and the breadth of the spectrum of its domain of applications.