合同文本置标语言CTML:一种面向智能法律合约的法律信息规范化提取方法

Contract text markup language: A regularization method for extracting legal elements towards smart contracts

  • 摘要: 智能合约在法律层面的关注度不断提高,如何将现实法律合同转化为智能合约程序,保证法律元素提取和程序转换的规范化已经成为当前的研究热点. 据此,从合约模板化和语义规范化的角度出发,提出一种合同文本置标语言(CTML),通过对合同中语法、结构、词汇的内容进行标注,实现合同要素的提取与转化. 首先,构建合同元模型并建立“要素−属性−成分”的三层语义结构与数源标记语法规则,基于元模型设计面向合同文本的置标语言语法规则,通过CTML完成法律信息规范化提取,形成标注合同;其次,通过递归抽象语法树(AST)并建立映射关系,设计由标注合同到智能法律合约的转换规则,完善法律合同到智能合约可执行代码的转化链条. 进而,以保理合同为例,演示了合同文本置标语言的语义提取和代码生成的实际效果,为普通法律合同转化成为智能合约提供了一种技术方法.

     

    Abstract: The importance of smart contracts at the legal level is increasing. However, the contract is written in natural language, and the computers cannot process it directly. Thus, accurately understanding contract content and meaning representation remains challenging. This problem leads to a lack of regularization in generating smart contract programs and legal recognition and effectiveness. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a new approach to transform real-life legal contracts into smart contract programs and ensure the regularization of legal element extraction and program conversion. In this paper, we propose a contract text markup language (CTML), which is a normative computer processing language for expressing meaning in legal contracts. A method for regulating the content and meaning representation of legal contract text is established by annotating the content and meaning representation of the syntax, structure, and vocabulary in the contract using CTML to achieve the extraction and conversion of contract elements. First, a contract metamodel of CTML, which includes a three-layer “element−property−component” semantic structure and metadata markup representation, is established. Thereafter, the contract text information is gradually refined from “large to small” and “coarse to fine” to build the corresponding relationship from real-life contracts to smart legal contracts. Furthermore, the syntax of CTML is designed such that the legal elements can be extracted and regularized to form an annotated contract using CTML. Second, we designed specific conversion rules from CTML to smart legal contract language to generate smart legal contract programs by recursively abstracting syntax trees and establishing a mapping relationship. These rules help users write contracts, improve the efficiency of converting contract text to executable code, and ensure that smart legal contracts are written on solid grounds, thereby improving the conversion chain from legal contracts to executable smart contracts. In addition, considering a factoring contract as an example, we illustrated the details of semantic extraction and code generation. Accordingly, the contract semantic extraction is clearer, the conversion is more normative, and the code development is more effective. Thus, the proposed CTML provides an alternative regularization method to generate smart legal contracts.

     

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