We propose, develop, and implement techniques for achieving contractual anonymity. In contractual anonymity, a user and service provider enter into an anonymity contract. The user is guaranteed anonymity and message unlinkability from the contractual anonymity system unless she breaks the contract. The service provider is guaranteed that it can identify users who break the contract. The signifi...

Agreements for the exchange of commodities consist of explicit, objectively measured contractual components enforced by the state, and implicit, subjective components enforced by sellers’ reputation. People are better informed about the former than about the latter. I expect prices to diverge because the market does not fully adjust for differentials due to changes in the reputational component...

In this paper, we present work in progress on the Electronic Contract Framework (ECF), an agent-based framework for the automation of contractual relationships. Electronic contracts are the cornerstone of this framework and contractual agents manipulate these abstractions to specify business relationships and to automate their execution. We first define the concepts and the formalism used to mo...

Most individuals strive to satisfy every obligation laid out in standard form contracts such as mortgages, insurance plans, or credit agreements. Sophisticated parties, however, adapt and modify their obligations during contract performance by negotiating for lenient treatment taking advantage of unclear terms. The common law explicitly authorizes variance from standardized terms performance. W...

Contract manufacturers sell capacity under different terms to different buyers. In a common practice, the supplier offers a market standard price and lead-time combination for products listed in its catalog. At the same time, it strikes contracts with some high-volume customers who require recurring delivery of a custom product at a short notice, usually timed to meet the buyer’s production sch...

In this paper, we present work in progress on the Electronic Contract Framework, an agent-based framework for the automation of contractual relationships. Electronic contracts are the cornerstone of this framework and contractual agents manipulate these abstractions to specify business relationships and to automate their execution. We first define the concepts and the formalism used to model el...