Jusletter IT

The world is going through a real decentralizing, disruptive revolution not only of economic activities, but also of social interrelations and political aspects of life, of which most of us are not aware. Organized by the Center for Intellectual Property and Innovation Law of the University of Neuchâtel (Pôle de propriété intellectuelle et de l’innovation, [PI]2, www.unine.ch/pi2) on 4 October 2016, this seminar on «Fintech, Bitcoins, Blockchains, Decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs): the future is bright, the future is decentralized» was the first of its kind to handle the legal aspects of blockchains in Switzerland in such a detailed manner, profiling the Neuchâtel region, which counts a rising number of dynamic startups in the field, as a player to count with in blockchains and cryptocurrencies. Moderated by Daniel Kraus, ordinary Professor of innovation law and Director of the [PI]2, this first seminar allowed participants to have fair exchanges of ideas on the subject, to realize what opportunities and perspectives blockchains open, what risks are entailed, and discuss the present and future legal framework for blockchains.