[antonvs]

> It's been my understanding that the blockchain is precisely an experiment in what can be accomplished without laws and enforcement

Some people seem to think that, perhaps misled by words like "trustless" that are applied very narrowly to blockchain technology.

But the reality is there's almost nothing about blockchain that helps with these trust issues. If I order a physical product and pay in advance with crypto, I have no recourse except a legal one if the seller doesn't deliver. You can set up escrow systems but then you need to trust the escrow provider, and you still need to somehow deal with hard to verify claims like "I didn't receive my package."

That's just one example. In almost every area in which blockchain is "an experiment in what can be accomplished without laws and enforcement," you'll find the actual situation is that it's a learning exercise for those who don't understand why laws and enforcement are needed - or, a way to avoid laws and enforcement for those engaging in illegal activities.

> A decentralized patent system without enforcement was previously something we could only imagine, but now we can try it out.

How? Put your invention on a blockchain and anyone can copy it without consequence. The primary purpose of patents is lost without enforcement.