IEEE and The Accord Project Partner to Develop Techno-Legal Standards for Smart Contract Applications

PISCATAWAY, NJ, 20 February 2018 – IEEE, the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for humanity, the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) and the Accord Project, today announced the intention to develop techno-legal standards that address smart contract applications in a wide variety of areas, beginning with supply chain operations. Initially, the collaboration will involve creating a 12-member working team of critical stakeholders that includes supply chain operational executives, blockchain architecture technologists, smart contract developers, legal experts, and industry advocacy groups, in the hopes of ensuring a balanced consensus throughout the standards development process.

“Business is becoming increasingly dependent on data and automation which makes enterprise-focused smart legal contracts an important tool to optimize process, lower costs, and deliver more value while operating on and off distributed ledgers,” explains Houman Shadab, Co-Director of the Accord Project. “Teaming up with the IEEE Standards Association will create the path for broad-based industry acceptance of the technology, making smart legal contracts a critical component of the digital ecosystem. This collaboration brings together two protocols in a manner that greatly benefits commercial relationships, supply chains, and the advancement of blockchain.”

Today, the worlds of business and technology are complex, fast moving, and present many opportunities for improvement using smart legal contracts. Global supply chain systems in particular are complex, requiring transparency, traceability and auditability. Despite the “digital wave,” hybrid paper and electronic documentation methods are still largely in play for the audit and management of supply chains. As a result, a gap exists for loss that can also hinder efforts to accurately measure success, track inventory, and more. Once formed, the working team will first explore the uses and related barriers to application within the supply chain field. Use cases will examine tracking products, payments, vendor agreements, and more.

“Defining the viability of smart contract applications utilizing a techno-legal standard is essential to drive industry-wide acceptance,” explains Alpesh Shah, senior director of Global Business Strategy & Intelligence at the IEEE Standards Association. “With this in mind, our collaboration with the Accord Project ensures compatibility of approaches towards business transactions via distributed ledger technologies such as blockchain. Further, the relationship with the Accord Project demonstrates the importance of organizations that are pioneering standards for blockchain based systems collaborate in a manner that continues to serve both industry and end-users, as well as the advancement of these technologies for benefit of humanity.”

To learn more about IEEE SA or about any of its many market-driven initiatives, visit us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, connect with us on LinkedIn, or on the Beyond Standards Blog.

IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) is a collaborative organization where innovators raise the world’s standards for technology. IEEE SA provides a globally open, consensus-building environment and platform that empowers people to work together in the development of leading-edge, market-relevant technology standards, and industry solutions shaping a better, safer and sustainable world. For more information, visit https://standards-qa21.ieee.org.

IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Through its highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities, IEEE is the trusted voice in a wide variety of areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers, and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power, and consumer electronics. Learn more at https://www.ieee.org.