Blockchain Applied to Law
Blockchain is a decentralized, transparent and secure technology for storing and transmitting information. Applied to law, it makes it possible to certify the existence, integrity and date of a document through immutable timestamping, without a traditional trusted third party. In France, the PACTE Act (2019) introduced the concept of the DEEP (Shared Electronic Recording Device) into French law.
Blockchain is a decentralized, transparent and tamper-proof digital ledger that records transactions chronologically. In the legal field, it offers an alternative to traditional trusted third parties (notaries, bailiffs) for certifying the existence, integrity and date of a document through immutable timestamping.
In France, the 2019 PACTE Act formalized the concept of the DEEP (Shared Electronic Recording Device), granting legal recognition to the use of blockchain for recording certain financial securities. In March 2025, the Marseille court set a precedent by recognizing blockchain as proof of copyright ownership, marking a significant step forward in the acceptance of this technology by French courts.
The legal applications of blockchain keep growing: proof of prior art for intellectual property, document certification (diplomas, contracts, deeds), supply-chain traceability for compliance, and of course smart contracts. It stands as a pillar of the legaltech ecosystem alongside AI and cloud computing.
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