me thinks "digital currency" is a misnomer. This misunderstanding may lead to painful legalities due to us common folks not knowing the meaning of the words we use.
From Blacks Law
What is CURRENCY?
Coined money and such bank-notes or other paper money as are authorized by law aud do in fact circulate from hand to hand as the medium of exchange. Griswold v. Hepburn, 2 Duv. (Ky.) 33; Leonard v. State, 115 Ala. SO, 22 South. 504; Insurance Co. v. Keirou, 27 111. 505; Insurance Co. v. Ivupfer, 2S 111. 332, 81 Am. Dec. 284; Lackey v. Miller, 01 N. O. 20.
Law Dictionary:
http://thelawdictionary.org/currency/#ixzz2onbOTlowPlease do not post your definitions cut and pasted from merriums or wiki.....they don't stand in a Court of Law, and so, should be disregarded. I'm concerned with the context and use of the lawful use, of bitcoins as an exchangeable medium. If you are a Lawyer, I understand you aren't obligated to tell the truth, but, I know you are obligated to follow the Rule of Law.---
All westernized Countries will be held to this definition in their legal systems, it's a standard.
According to Blacks Law Dictionary, "currency" is a physical, tangible, tradable, object--authorized by law.
Bitcoins and all other digital mediums of exchange, are not currency.
Legal definitions change to keep up with changes in technology. Courts are often called upon to interpret definitions within new and changing conditions. As such, this definition is very likely to change over time.
As it is, bitcoin already seems to meet the:
"circulate from hand to hand as the medium of exchange" portion of the definition.
Bitcoin is not "unauthorized", so could it therefore be considered to be
authorized?
While bitcoin may not quite meet the literal definition of "
Coined money and such bank-notes or other paper money", and therefore may not "be a currency", it most certainly could be considered to be "used as a currency" in the same way that an eight centimeter rock may not "be a hammer", but could still be "used as a hammer".
If bitcoin is found to "be used as a currency" frequently enough, isn't it within the realm of possibility that the Blacks Law Dictionary could be updated to reflect that in common use bitcoin is "a currency". Note that dictionaries do not permanently set the definitions of words against all future modification, but rather reflect and report the present common usage of words and their immediately accepted meanings.