Foreword

Today I will be discussing Jur, which in my mind is an extremely fascinating project. As we remain in the consolidation period in the market (just my 2 cents), it is important to keep up one’s research. Research and knowledge give you the best possible tools to make the right decision in your investments. I also wish to mention another fact, after the recent Steemit update a lot of my followers have voiced their concern about not being able to comment on the platform due to restrictions, it seems you need to hold a lot of SP to ensure you don’t run out of resource credits. Many of you are on my other social media channels so we can discuss questions you may have about my work on there. I really do feel that steemit is the place to publish this work, because it is full of like-minded people, and because I am publishing on a blockchain, I think it is only fitting I continue to use it. Please spread my work!

Introduction

JUR is a service on the blockchain which aims to tackle the centralised legal structure and dispute resolution process. They see it as extremely inefficient, a fact I think most of you will agree with if you have ever been involved with any of the above. I keep telling you all that smart contracts will revolutionise this space. They state in their whitepaper that this will make the process extremally fast and fair at a near zero cost. They will also provide a function for users to build smart contracts/legal agreements and allow for escrow services.

I strongly believe Jur will bring more trust into the dispute resolution and judicial system. Jur is utilising the beauty of blockchain technology to spark the new era of dispute resolution. I am fascinated by this project because I believe that, for economies to transition to a decentralised world we need the process of law and order to follow suit. This protocol will provide an in-corruptible dispute resolution system. This platform has huge potential.

I am going to take you through an in-depth review of the Jur whitepaper within this article. Hopefully, by the end you will be just as amazed as I am regarding the potential of this platform. As always, there will be many links posted in the further reading section below, which I would urge you all to use in your own research if considering any investments. Do not forget to do your own due diligence.

Vision

Jur, (2018) state that their vision centres around a world with frictionless transactions and a global economy from which anybody can make legally binding agreements easily. They can do this with the promise of a fast dispute resolution process at hand for when it is required. This should be everybody’s vision if you are “here for the tech”. Jur state that growth and innovation have been stunted by the current contract and dispute resolution processes in the world economy, often being extremely costly and slow. Jur is positioning themselves to bring decentralisation to this space, to cater for the smallest to the largest contracts. As we all know by now, blockchain is the solution to big data and the advent of smart contracts makes it ideal for use cases like this.

Jur, (2018) state this will be the ideal business relations model, utilising smart legal agreements, at “near zero costs” and will provide a fast dispute resolution process; all carried out via the blockchain. I am a strong believer that smart contracts are the future, Jur is just another example which proves my point. This is the vision of the majority in the crypto space. Jur goes a step further than smart contracts and provides the infrastructure necessary to police and resolve disputes, a core requirement if decentralisation will ever work on mass.

Potential

Source: Jur.io, (2018)

I feel the Jur ecosystem has huge potential to make its mark on the world. Jur will target all industries around the world and bring blockchain technology to it. A fully decentralised platform, run by its users is what is on offer here.

In the Jur whitepaper they state that they will be targeting 2 markets:

1. Those with no viable current dispute resolution process. I believe this would target those with disputes valued below 1,000 dollars, as there currently is no cost-effective process to recover such values. Blockchain can be this solution. I personally believe this market will be huge. Jur, (2018) add that about 1 trillion dollars of economic activity falls into this area. They further state that in 2017 the freelance economy involved 3 billion contracts (1.4 trillion value) at an average contract value of 450 dollars. This is a staggering statistic.

2. Those who will see that Jur provides a better solution than their current process. Jur, (2018) believe they can target OTC crypto contracts here, which currently is valued at 3 billion dollars per month and current dispute resolution measures don’t really cater for. They further see ICO agreements/contracts for freelance work as a target here. Furthermore, they claim that in 2014 there were 1.7 trillion dollars’ worth of contracts under arbitration (in dispute and not including conventional courts). Economic activity would then be many times more, which is a huge potential market for Jur as the platform evolves to handle more complex contracts.

Pain Point

Overall, as stated in the Jur whitepaper, the biggest problem in the space today is the inefficient, slow speed and costly dispute resolution process. I tend to agree with this, I have been writing about how revolutionary this space is for a while now, but I will admit I never stepped back a bit and considered all the supporting processes which need to follow suit. There is no point having everything run on an efficient blockchain if other processes such as dispute resolution lag behind. This is a huge part of how business is done after all, and one which we can never avoid.

Jur, (2018) is correct in their stance that at some point the cost of dispute resolution far exceeds the gains. I for one have seen this first hand. I have seen companies purse dispute resolution out of spite rather than considering the actual cost, which sometimes exceeds the gains. It is a common problem in any industry I believe.

What I love about this project is that it will tackle a very real issue. Jur state in their whitepaper that the current legal and bureaucratic systems are not efficient enough for individuals and businesses. The cost of solving disputes is too high and creates a lot of friction in the economy between parties. Jur further believes that current bureaucratic dispute resolution and legal enforcement procedures are a drain on the efficiency of commercial businesses due to the knock-on effects they have; such as lending restrictions in banks and cash only policies. This all comes from a fear of bad debt collection policies if things go wrong. It seems confidence in any judicial system is a direct link to higher lending costs, according to Jur.

Source: Jur, (2018)

The above image, taken from the whitepaper just cements these facts. This world bank data shows how inefficient the process of dispute resolution is. Jur, (2018) state that the average worldwide time is between 1.5-3 years for first judgments. When appeals and all are thrown into the mix this process drags on for years. The percentages above show how much of the claim on average is lost due to costs of dispute resolution, a figure which on average is 20% in the most efficient economies and higher as you move to less efficient areas.

Overall Jur, (2018) sum up the problems with the traditional systems as:

1. Traditional dispute resolution (ADR): ADR includes both mediation and arbitration, the former which has no enforcement action and the latter is too costly and time-consuming.
2. Third-party guarantee systems: Jur, (2018) state that services such as escrows are too costly and often entail lengthy/centralised dispute resolution processes.
3. Platforms and marketplace: Again, these are expensive as they work off % fees and consist of buyer’s markets.
4. Legal agreements: As I have mentioned previously these have high costs and result in a lot of uncertainty to a business.
5. Smart legal contracts: Jur state that although smart contracts will be the future, they are not at the level they need to be, to be effective in a real-world setting.

Solution

Source: (Dale, 2018)

After reading the Jur whitepaper, it is easy to see their solution is to provide a direct all-encompassing platform to make dispute resolution cost-effective, faster and more efficient. The image above showcases their solution to bring more value, fairer decisions and security to the process of dispute resolution.

Their platform will allow for the creation of legally binding smart contracts, a feat to be applauded. In the whitepaper they call these “Smart Legal Agreements”. They further state that the dispute resolution process will be streamlined to a mere 24 hours in most instances, which is just outstanding in my opinion. What I really love about the Jur solution is that they will use mass-judgment of the community to settle disputes, something which I applaud because it means this team plan to make this a truly decentralised process. They utilise escrow-based contracts to make this a very secure process. Jur will provide an alternative to current contract and dispute resolution processes and will even replace them eventually, in my opinion.

Jur plans to revolutionise this space by bringing the power of blockchain and smart contracts together in harmony, to provide seamless and reliable dispute resolution. If you all believe blockchain will be the backbone of all industries in the future, then you will realise that proper dispute measures are required. Jur can fulfil this gap.

Platform

Source: Jur, (2018)

The image above showcases the Jur platform. It comprises of 2 layers.

The first layer is the “Onchain layer”: Jur, (2018). The Onchain layer is made up of 3 smart contracts:

1. Arbitration contract: this allows oracles (users) to vote on a dispute without the need for an escrow. Instead of an escrow agreement, this uses a staking algorithm to ensure no foul play when a dispute is opened, if you win your dispute you get the tokens back.
2. Arbitration and escrow contract: This is similar to the above but with the added requirement for an escrow of Jur tokens. I also believe Jur will allow other “stable coins” to be used as collateral here. If such a contract goes “into dispute” then oracles vote and money is assigned according to the outcome. I also believe if a dispute is opened by one party the other has 24 hours to “resolve” the issue before it goes to oracles for voting, I believe oracles then have 24 hours to vote.
3. Hubs: This is a group of oracles set up by one or more admins on the platform with a “specific set of rules or skills”, contracts are free to link to specific hubs to police their contracts, but it is not a requirement. If no Hub is assigned then anyone with Jur tokens can vote. Jur state there are no fees involved here as such, but they are free to seek revenue via specific rules. It seems it is open source.

The second layer is the “Off-chain layer”, which will comprise of:

1. Smart legal agreement injector: This allows creation or buying of contract templates via a marketplace, after which 2 agreeing parties can “hash” it to the blockchain.
2. Smart legal agreement builder: this innovative tool will allow people to build smart legal templates with instructions for those using them. They are free to sell these via the marketplace.
3. Smart legal agreement marketplace: This is where contract templates are bought and sold, according to Jur. I believe this will be very interactive and cover contracts across all industries, all of which can be rated and recommended by oracles.
4. Oracle groups: this will be a social media feature where oracles can get together and share their interests.
5. Voting Web interface: this allows viewing of disputes and voting across all industries involved on the platform.

The 3rd part of this platform, as per the image above is the API section. Jur, (2018) state that they will provide an API to allow anyone to connect to their dispute resolution system. They state this API will be made available to organisations of all industries to push growth.

Consensus

Source: Connelly, (2018)

In the whitepaper Jur quote what is called “Game theory”, which from what I can understand records and quantifies “wisdom” of participants in order to give results. All of this will be done via a series of smart contracts, allowing oracles to vote, as described in the whitepaper. I believe some sort of incentivised voting mechanism allows it to operate, which is vital for the consensus to work; just remember nobody works for free.

Over time Jur state the model will move to more complex agreements. Voters who choose the right outcome are ultimately rewarded and those who choose wrong lose their staked tokens. I like this simplistic approach. In this way “Game Theory” ultimately leads to little corruption as it does not pay to act against the majority consensus. To keep the system fair, Jur state that they will offer both open and closed voting systems. The open system will allow any token holder to participate and the closed will comprise of “qualified” token holders via hubs, I assume these will be used on more complex contractual issues/ disputes.

Jur, (2018) tell us voters (oracles) can abstain, vote in-favour or reject disputes. This game theory in itself incentivises participants to vote correctly. Simply put, the 2 parties in dispute pay nothing to oracles, oracles then stake Jur tokens to vote and lose them if they make the wrong choice. This ensures parties come to fair decisions and oracles who are legit and vote correctly are rewarded.

Source: Jur, (2018)

Consider the image above from the white paper, it is actually a very simple process, winning votes are only counted within the 24-hour voting window up until the majority is established. This further incentivises oracles to participate as soon as possible. I am not going to get into the technicalities of how this all works, but for you “tech freaks” out there, please check out the appendix section of the whitepaper (linked in the further reading section below) which describes the process in detail, alongside other technical aspects of the platform. Maybe If I get time I can do a technical article on this.

Competition

Other blockchain based platforms exist out there which can compete with Jur. Jur, (2018) state themselves that blockchain projects such as “Mattereum, Agrello, Jury Online ad Kleros” are their main competitors. I will not discuss these projects in detail, but Jur does state that none offer the all-encompassing solution that Jur does. Jur gives great rebuttals to these projects claims within the whitepaper which is linked in the reading section below (p33) if you want to check them out.

I personally believe Jur will attract a lot of industries and take over a huge market share. I believe they offer a premium service when compared to any other similar project. Jur seems like such a well-designed platform and I feel the team have the knowledge and vision to make it a reality. I believe they plan to tackle OTC crypto and ICO contracts first, this is a great starting point. It is easy to see to the potential market for this platform when you consider how central dispute resolution processes are in any economy.

Token Economics

Source: Jur, (2018)

Jur will run on the Ethereum blockchain, making it an ERC-20 token. Jur, (2018) state that they will start with Ethereum due to its proven track record and maturity but will consider switching blockchains in the future if more enhanced options are available. We all know there are other better blockchains out there, but please consider none of them are as proven as Ethereum and with Casper/scaling solutions on the way for Ethereum, who knows.

In my opinion, Jur is yet another example of a “Utility token” with a perfect use case. This token will be central to the operating of the ecosystem. As I have mentioned throughout this article, it has a huge amount of uses on the platform, from escrow funds, purchases, fees, and voting. Jur will be a free service to use, but as I mentioned before, the Jur token is required to vote and try to gain rewards. Jur state in the whitepaper that they will also have the following paid services:

• One paid service is the use of the Jur API where businesses can send disputes for resolving via a subscription service.
• Another service is that if anybody wishes to make more than 3 contracts per month on the Jur platform they need to pay a premium, everyone gets 3 for free.
• Jur will allow users/developers to create Smart Legal Agreement Templates (SLTs)” via the builder function, which then allows other users to purchase these via a marketplace and create their own “Smart Legal Agreements (SLAs)”. You can make money on this platform.
• Jur also states in their whitepaper that their escrow service will allow the use of other stable coins, but for a fee.

Source: Jur.io, (2018)

Token distribution is also pretty fair I think when you read into it. Jur is releasing 40% of their tokens for the Public sale with another 15% held in reserve. I can see the Team and advisors hold a lot of tokens (24%) but I am happy to see these are held within vesting schedules ranging from 12-24 months with weekly releases, it gives me a lot of confidence as it ensures no dumping on the market. The 8% angle investment has concluded already and the 10% Seed has concluded with private investors.

Considering this, this economic model stacks up pretty well I would say. I would perhaps like to see a minimum of 55% sold via the public sale, but I am happy overall. Also, keep in mind 5% is being used to get the platform operating efficiently by incentivising adoption. Also, please remember this sale will require KYC.

I am happy with the use of funds. I am glad to see a large allocation to development and marketing to ensure it reaches the masses. They have already alpha tested this platform thanks to the funds raised from angel investors, so it is great to see they are well on their way to successfully developing the platform. Jur, (2018) state that their target for marketing is primarily the US, Europe, and South-East Asia and these funds will be spent over a 5-year period. They are going to target large industries in the time.

Roadmap

Source: Jur, (2018)

This is yet another example of a long and well-developed roadmap, with great value release dates for investors. They have set some pretty big targets and it will be interesting to track their progress. I am pretty impressed by what is on offer here.

Team

Source: Jur.io, (2018)

The fact that the CEO (Alessandro Palombo) has extensive legal, tech and fintech experience instils a lot of confidence in me. The co-founder (Flippo Schiano) has extensive experience building marketplaces and the other co-founder (Giotto de Filippi) is a blockchain expert which extensive experience advising ICOs. This team comprising of an additional 6 members, 4 advisors and 3 scientific consultants combined with a large community of experts across various sectors will surely make this a success story.

I also like that even though this is a fully open ecosystem, the management team is committed to ensuring a smooth running of the platform. They state in the whitepaper that they will step in if needed on issues (after consulting the wider community).

Conclusion

Jur will allow users to create contracts, set the rules and carry out judgments on disputes via their simple but revolutionary Game theory consensus. Overall, I can envisage Individuals, small business and large business alike utilising the Jur platform. Jur will provide their ecosystem free of charge and open source to entice businesses and entities to make the switch. Saying this, the Jur token has a fundamental role within the ecosystem and opens up premium benefits to users, whilst also facilitating the voting process. The platform will allow users to create and tailor “Smart Legal Contracts” to their needs and provide themselves with an efficient, fast and cheap dispute resolution process, all via the power of blockchain and decentralisation.

I love how fair this judicial process will be, users can choose to use all oracles on the platform to pass judgment on their dispute or seek assistance from specialised hubs for more professional judgment. I truly believe that this will attract businesses of all industries. I feel the open source nature will lead to the natural development of specialised hubs, thus creating an ecosystem divided by their respective industries and skills. I strongly believe this will allow the transfer of professionalism into the dispute resolution process so people with the correct knowledge will make the decisions.

Jur will ensure this platform operates effectively by using various technology firms, blockchain developers and security firms. They will also partner with various legal firms around the world to ensure all frameworks conform to each jurisdiction they take place in. I believe this platform will bring more trust and efficiency to the process of dispute resolution.

Overall Jur really excites me, it is getting harder and harder to separate the good from the bad in the ICO space today. I really feel that Jur has one of the best use-cases of blockchain technology that I have ever seen, this is a project which will provide another stepping stone for mass adoption into this space, a huge step at that! You will realise a trend with my work by now, A project has to be very special for me to write about it, I am glad Jur crossed my path. This will be a huge success and a market leader in this space.

Final word

Lastly guys, I just want to stipulate to you that you should not take any of this as investment advice. I am not a financial advisor and urge you all to do your own research when considering any investment, this space can be very unforgiving and is very speculative in nature. Never follow somebody blindly; my job is to showcase projects I see with real potential, that is all. I hope you enjoyed this article and I will aim to find the next amazing project in due course. I thank you all for your support and ask for you to share my work. I would be more than happy to discuss any questions you may have in the comments section.

Additional reading

• Jur Website: https://jur.io/
• Jur Whitepaper: https://jur.io/content/uploads/2018/07/JUR-WhitePaper-v0.3-eng.pdf
• Jur One pager: https://jur.io/content/uploads/2018/08/OnePager.pdf
• Jur MVP: https://jur.io/content/uploads/2018/07/Jur-MVP-Contract-Specification.pdf
• Jur Presentation: https://jur.io/content/uploads/2018/07/JUR-Deck-v1-eng.pdf
• Jur Telegram: https://t.me/jurcommunity
• Jur Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JurNetwork/
• Jur Twitter: https://twitter.com/jurproject
• Jur LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/jur-network/
• Jur GitHub: https://github.com/jurteam
• Jur Medium: https://medium.com/jur-io

References

• Connelly, C. (2018). Jur: The Justice As A Service Infrastructure – J U R – Medium. [online] Medium. Available at: https://medium.com/jur-io/jur-the-justice-as-a-service-infrastructure-ecf0446d748a [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].
• Dale, O. (2018). JUR ICO: Decentralized Dispute Resolution Platform. [online] Blockonomi. Available at: https://blockonomi.com/jur-ico/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].
• Jur (2018). [online] Jur.io. Available at: https://jur.io/content/uploads/2018/07/JUR-WhitePaper-v0.3-eng.pdf [Accessed 8 Oct. 2018].
• Jur.io. (2018). [online] Available at: https://jur.io/content/uploads/2018/08/OnePager.pdf [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].
• Jur.io. (2018). Jur: Documents. [online] Available at: https://jur.io/documents/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].
• Jur.io. (2018). Jur: Decentralized Dispute Resolution. [online] Available at: https://jur.io/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].
• Trackico.io. (2018). Jur (JUR) ICO information and rating | TrackICO. [online] Available at: https://www.trackico.io/ico/jur/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2018].