Aragon Court Launches as a Decentralized Online Judiciary: What You Need to Know

The Birth of Aragon Court

After three years of intense development, Aragon Court has officially stepped onto the digital jurisdiction scene with a launch announced on February 10. The team’s mission? To build a decentralized online court that empowers Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) and their users. As of now, they’re managing an impressive $8 million across more than 1,000 DAOs. Talk about getting down to business!

Why A Digital Court?

The genesis of the Aragon Court idea traces back to 2017. The creators recognized that DAOs needed to step out of their digital confines. According to their blog post, “DAOs need subjective agreements.” This reflects a longing for a legal system that resonates with the nature of digital collaboration, unfettered by traditional national boundaries and jurisdictions.

Anyone Can Be a Juror (Almost)

In a twist that even the most seasoned jurists wouldn’t see coming, Aragon Court allows anyone with 10,000 staked ANJ tokens to become a juror. Yes, you read that right. The chances of being selected are directly proportional to the number of tokens staked, which means that having a few tokens is like trying to win a game of musical chairs where all the seats are taken! Luis Cuende, the executive director at Aragon Association, likened it to Bitcoin mining pools—more tokens = a better chance of being called. But don’t fret, smaller holders can collaborate to form juror pools for better chances. Pool your tokens, people!

Resolving Disputes: The Smart Contract Way

No more drama with your neighbor over their hedge encroaching into your yard! In Aragon Court, disputes will be resolved through a rigorous system where jurors’ rulings are executed automatically via smart contracts. That’s right, it’s all in the code! Winners get rewarded while losers face penalties, all without a single human having to touch the rules.

A Future Full of Precedence

As of now, no disputes have been resolved, but this isn’t a straight-to-series sitcom; rather, it’s a test pilot. They’ll be running a precedents campaign to get the ball rolling and lay the groundwork for the future. As Cuende put it, anyone can create a dispute, but there’s wisdom in waiting for a bit of precedent to inform the process. Because let’s face it, nobody wants to wing an important court ruling!