Global Journal of Management and Business Research, D: Accounting and Auditing, Volume 22 Issue 2

b) Ethereum and its open-source strategy Since the scripting language of the Bitcoin blockchain is incomplete, it has minimal programming capabilities. Until it is widely accepted as legal tender by governments worldwide, the commercial use of Bitcoin is still very limited. In this case, the second stage of the blockchain, Ethereum, has been ushered in. In 1997, Nick Szabo published an article entitled The Idea of Smart Contracts, defining intelligent contracts as "the form of embedding contracts into various valuable properties through digital intelligence" [23]. In 2013, the idea of smart contracts was realized by a 19-year-old computer genius named Vitalik Buterin, who publicly identified Ethereum as another peer-to- peer decentralized blockchain. However, due to Bitcoin's incomplete blockchain and limited scripting capabilities, Ethereum blockchain uses a more sophisticated scripting language that allows users to write and deploy smart contracts and other applications. Ethereum blockchain has two types of accounts, including external accounts and contract accounts. External accounts are for ordinary users only. When a user creates an external account, they are asked to enter a password. The Ethereum blockchain then generates a pair of public and private keys for the external account, represented by the address of a sequence of numbers generated by the account's public key. There is no concept of an account name on the Ethereum blockchain. The address of an external account is independent of the user's identity, as the blockchain system does not require users to register under their real names. Hence, users are anonymous on the Ethereum blockchain[24]. The contract account stores the smart contract code, and its address mainly comes from some information related to the smart contract, such as the address of the creator and the number of transactions.Smart contracts in the Ethereum blockchain are treated as autonomous scripts. Ethereum writes a programming language for users to develop smart contracts. An Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) was also created to deploy and execute smart contracts in the Ethereum blockchain. The server allows users to write smart contracts and translateactual contracts into programming code, compiled them into EVM bytecode, and deployed them to the Ethereum blockchain for execution. Once deployed to the blockchain, smart contracts cannot be modified and are automatically executed once the conditions of the agreement are met without human intervention. Therefore, smart contracts can solve problems in real life and significantly reduce labor costs, administrative expenses, and time costs[25]. Ethereum provides a command interface called Geth to run a complete Ethereum node in terms of open-source strategy. Ethereum's official website states that the Ethereum core license is licensed under the GNU LGPL and runs all front-end client software. On the other hand, Geth is licensed under the GNU GPL general public license, a free copyright license issued by the free software foundation that guarantees all users of software four freedoms. (1) Any user can use it for any purpose; (2) Users have the freedom to change the software at any time according to their own needs; (3) Freedom to share software with the user's neighbors and friends; (4) The freedom to share any changes made by users. The current version of the GNU GPL is GNU GPLv3, which was released on June 29, 2007. Under GNU GPLv3, the Ethereum blockchain should expose the source code of each software program so that users can access and use it freely. Furthermore, to ensure that users are free to use all software versions, GNU GPLv3 acknowledges that all users are free to run, modify, and distribute copyrighted software under the GNU GPLv3 license without restriction. However, to achieve the goal of free access and sharing software, GNU GPLv3 does not allow users to use or modify open-source software published by others, nor does it allow others to use or distribute modified versions of the software. IV. B lockchain open S ource in I ntellectual P roperty D ilemma and S uggested M easures a) Blockchain open source in the intellectual property dilemma Most initial blockchain developers are believers in open-source software, setting up the core blockchain program, development interface, and application software as open-source, making it freely available to all developers or hobbyists. In recognition of the open- source culture, the original developers did not intend to collect licensing fees or royalties from other blockchain developers or users and therefore did not apply for patents. However, subsequent application developers have filed so many patents that the original blockchain developers have begun worrying whether patent applications could hinder or jeopardize the next blockchain innovation. Blockchain inventions usually involve many technical features, not just abstract ideas like software or e-commerce. These patent applications were initially based on the earliest blockchain developers, but some modifications have to be made due to the rapid iterative nature of the software and the need for continuous improvement. Furthermore, when subsequent developers build on what the original developer developed and patent the product, those applications are often quickly approved. In this case, many of the initial blockchain developers may not Institutional Logic, Dilemma and Suggestions of Open Source Innovation: A Case Study of Blockchain 50 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue II Version I Year 2022 ( )D © 2022 Global Journals