Sky Blog
Commercial law, as codified by the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”), recognizes certain important commercial realities as a basis to override property law. In a new article, I examine that recognition in connection with the UCC’s allocation of the risk of …
In a new article, I observe that an accurate understanding of intersecting bodies of law can sometimes turn on the scale of observation. In particular, I examine how the intersection of commercial and bankruptcy law creates uncertainty whether a transfer …
Smart contracts are typically used to facilitate the transfer of cryptocurrencies but can actually be used to conclude all sorts of transactions. Technically speaking, a smart contract is just an automated algorithm. It triggers a pre-defined action once certain preconditions …
As the original cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has received more than its share of exposure, including as a harbinger of the possibilities of blockchain. Since the 2008 brainchild of Satoshi Nakamoto hit the internet, supporters of the original cryptocurrency have lauded it …
In a forthcoming article, I observe that commercial law has uncertain boundaries, challenging the traditional view that commercial law is a separate and distinct body of law. Various provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) may be overinclusive, conflicting …
For all the press lamenting the “crypto winter” and urging long-term legislative overhaul, there has not been sufficient attention to how existing regulatory tools can be employed to address some of the key risks and vulnerabilities in the current crypto …
This month, the sponsors of the Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”) approved wide-ranging amendments to the UCC (the “2022 UCC Amendments”)[1] to provide workable rules for emerging technologies, such as distributed ledger technology and virtual currency. If adopted by individual …
In a new article, I examine the development and regulation of digital currencies, which are monetary currencies that are evidenced electronically. Large “wholesale” payments among businesses and financial institutions already occur electronically, and bitcoin has been with us for …
The transactional plumbing of corporate debt payment systems is hardly where one expects to find watershed legal moments; and it usually lives up to that mundane reputation. But every so often, real disputes emerge, and they are often doozies. Such …
In a new paper, I examine the legal issues surrounding a “retail” central bank digital currency (“CBDC”), one that is used by consumers on a day-to-day basis as an alternative to cash. Most discussions about CBDC focus on its purported …
One of the mysteries in life is how different jurisdictions can be faced with the same legal problem and manage to come up with the same wrong answer. Case in point. Both English and American contract law hold that if …
Law and economics scholars have long argued that efficiency is best served when a firm’s capital structure is arranged as a single, hierarchical value waterfall. In such a regime, claimants with seniority are made whole before the next-junior stakeholders receive …