![]() in the next decade. Switzerland, which is home to a vibrant blockchain community, is in the center of this trend. Therefore, we will take a closer look at ecosystems and evaluate possible legal forms according to Swiss law. competitors, for decades, competition was and Brandenburger published their bestseller "Co-opetition" (cooperation and competition). shift. Nowadays, we are moving gradually in this direction, driven by changing customer expectations and technological developments, such as blockchain, artificial intelligence and the internet of things. Interdisciplinarity is the new challenge and companies are realizing that they have to rely on skills outside of their own core competence in order to comply with increasingly complex value propositions. The ability to cooperate in a goal-oriented manner will be a decisive factor of success in the future. For a long time, however, it was not known how such forms of cooperation could be shaped in order to promote innovation. Ecosystems provide a methodical approach to solving this problem. community that jointly develops products or services that a company alone could not offer. For an ecosystem to provide a product or service, those involved must contribute their data, skills and networks and align them with each other. In this respect, ecosystems differ from other forms of economic relationships, such as supply chains. In ecosystems, the focal value proposition and the incentive system that motivates the actors to get involved are decisive. This always requires at least one focal firm. The focal firm has the task the focal value proposition, so that the synergies and benefits of the ecosystem, such as access to information, more efficient business processes and reduced transaction costs, can be exploited. From a legal point of view, it is of particular interest which legal entities are most suitable to organize an ecosystem in an effective and efficient way. illustration of three possible basic ecosystem concepts. The figures serve to clarify and visually orient how ecosystem concepts differ in their structures and interactions: Suter Howald Attorneys at Law and co-founder of LAWSHIFT LLC. His main areas of practice are corporate, contract and insurance law, as well as tech law, with a focus on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, ecosystems and LegalTech. Attorneys at Law. His main area of practice is tech law with a focus on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, ecosystems and LegalTech. Stampfenbachstrasse 52 Postfach Zürich, Switzerland CH-8021 dominik.obrist@suterhowald.ch suterhowald.ch |