# Scalable, Secure and Broad-Spectrum Enforcement of Contracts, Without Blockchains

## TL;DR

This paper presents Cop, a scalable and secure contract enforcement mechanism that operates without blockchains, suitable for diverse multi-agent systems, and offers advantages over blockchain-based smart contracts in scalability and security.

## Contribution

The paper introduces Cop, a novel contract enforcement system combining LGI with a new protective layer, enhancing security and scalability across various multi-agent system applications.

## Key findings

- Cop is scalable and secure for diverse multi-agent systems.
- It outperforms blockchain smart contracts in scalability and interoperability.
- Cop broadens the spectrum of enforceable contracts in multi-agent environments.

## Abstract

This paper introduces a scalable and secure contract-enforcement mechanism, called Cop, which can be applied to a broad range of multi-agent systems including small and large systems, time-critical systems, and systems-of-systems. Cop enforces contracts (or protocols) via the existing Law- Governed Interaction (LGI) mechanism, coupled with a new protective layer that significantly enhances the dependability and security of such enforcement. Cop is arguably superior to the currently popular blockchain-based smart-contract mechanisms, due to its scalability, interoperability, and the breadth of the spectrum of its domain of applications.