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Blockchain: under lock & key?

13 February 2019 / Jeffrey Catanzaro
Issue: 7828 / Categories: Features , Profession , Technology
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It’s not a question of if but when this new technology will start to transform law firms, so the time to prepare is now, says Jeffrey Catanzaro

Blockchain has the power to revolutionise so many sectors in so many ways, and it is likely we will continue to read more and more about this technology and its practical applications in 2019.

For example, blockchain is being used to track the provenance of food, to ensure it is what it says on the label: the technology can prove an onion has been grown organically, or that a piece of fish used in your sushi is sustainable. In the financial world, blockchain has the potential to be a gamechanger by creating more secure transactions, and it also forms the basis for cryptocurrencies. The music industry is using blockchain to stamp out illegal downloads and ensure artists are properly compensated. The automotive sector is utilising the platform to manage supply chains and track vehicles. You get the picture: blockchain can transform most sectors

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Writing in NLJ this week, Sophie Ashcroft and Miranda Joseph of Stevens & Bolton dissect the Privy Council’s landmark ruling in Jardine Strategic Ltd v Oasis Investments II Master Fund Ltd (No 2), which abolishes the long-standing 'shareholder rule'
In NLJ this week, Sailesh Mehta and Theo Burges of Red Lion Chambers examine the government’s first-ever 'Afghan leak' super-injunction—used to block reporting of data exposing Afghans who aided UK forces and over 100 British officials. Unlike celebrity privacy cases, this injunction centred on national security. Its use, the authors argue, signals the rise of a vast new body of national security law spanning civil, criminal, and media domains
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