How NFT court summons could change the legal landscape

RBB Lab, a technology development company based in the Republic of San Marino, has used non-fungible token (NFT) technology for theme a court summons to a former employee and a contractor.

RBB Lab CEO Enrico Rubboli told Cointelegraph that he has summoned the two individuals to the Italian judiciary on charges of attempted extortion and aggravated defamation of the company. The subpoena was “a restraining order that we are asking them to stop this campaign against us,” Rubboli said.

This is the first time that an NFT has been used to deliver a court summons in Italy. If this technology catches on, it could spell big changes to the way Italy handles legal cases in the future.

The RBB team says that serving a subpoena via blockchain is more efficient than the traditional process, which can take weeks. Rubboli, said: “The goal is to streamline the process and make it more efficient,” adding:

“As a technology company, we want to break down barriers in everything we do. This is an example where technology can facilitate and also improve a system that has been slow to adapt. Our goal is to find opportunities to improve our lives using technology. Unfortunately, the legal system has many examples of inefficiency where a lot can be done."

RBB Lab is working with Florence, Italy-based law firm Annetta Rossi e Associati to develop a suite of tools for the legal field. The goal is to create new blockchain-related legal products that can be used by both lawyers and law students. The project is still in its early stages, but the team is already making great progress.

“We have a very good relationship with the law firm and they are familiar with the blockchain. So we decided to collaborate with them since we are an engineering company and we can help them bring a variety of tools to market, such as on-chain forensic tools and the technology to serve a court summons via blockchain. We are also exploring the possibility of certifying documents using the blockchain. So, we will have a way to prove that the document existed at a certain time,” Rubboli told Cointelegraph.

Service of judicial documents with NFT

Contrary to what one might expect, the use of NFTs for the service of court documents is becoming more common. In fact, two courts in the UK and the US have approved the serving of NFT subpoenas in the context of a legal dispute that could pave the way for more widespread use.

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As more and more people have started using NFTs, the number of NFT-related court cases has also grown considerably in recent years. One of the most recent saw a law firm use an NFT to serve a defendant with a temporary restraining order.

Another example was of a company taking the rather unique step of giving a defendant an NFT as evidence in an $8 million hacking case.

The fact that NFTs have been embraced by lawyers as a viable form of service in legal matters, regardless of jurisdiction, is a clear sign that this new technology has been accepted and is being used in the legal community.

The traditional way of serving court documents has been characterized by personal delivery, but with the rise of blockchain technology, there is an opportunity to explore a more modern approach. This could have a far-reaching effect on both individuals and businesses, as it could open up a world of possibilities for how court documents will be delivered in the future.

When asked for the reason for his decision to serve the subpoena via an NFT, Rubboli responded:

“Through traditional means, serving a subpoena can be quite difficult. When serving a subpoena, it should be sent and delivered as soon as possible and in the most efficient manner possible."

“Right now it is extremely complicated and error prone due to the turnaround time and cost to find certain people, especially if they are anonymous. NFTs are the way to go because they reduce and automate steps which, as you know, make fewer mistakes when done responsibly. The counterparty can use a single mistake to postpone judgment and that, of course, could create a whole host of new problems. So efficiency is extremely important here,” he added.

Consequences for the legal system

While there are many advantages to using NFT to serve a subpoena, there are also legal requirements that must be followed.

To gain a better understanding of this and the potential implications of the summons in the Italian legal system, Cointelegraph contacted Pietro Calvaruso of the legal team at RBB Labs for more information.

“One of the main problems is still represented by the lack of familiarity of our rulers with blockchain technology,” Calvaruso said, “although the number of professionals capable of using it is growing rapidly. A change of mentality is necessary on the part of our politicians”.

“The implementation of blockchain in the Italian legal system would give our country a huge boost in terms of investment attractiveness and would definitely contribute to creating a fairer environment for both entrepreneurs and consumers.”

Intellectual property of digital assets

In addition to using NFTs to deliver court documents, some companies are also using them to fight counterfeiting.

Using NFTs allows companies to verify that a digital asset is native, original, and copyright-free with blockchain technology.

This technology makes them indestructible and easily verifiable. Furthermore, it can be used to transfer royalties and fees to the creator through the use of smart contracts.

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This has allowed media companies to link their unique content to NFT and provide their customers with a unique experience by leveraging this technology.

Earlier this year, The Sandbox, an Ethereum-based company metaversewas associated with the NFT World of Women Collective.

This association serves as a great platform for the company to continue its mission of achieving greater education and representation of women in the virtual world.