Patent for a system that would allow modification of a Blockchain protocol without consensus of all network participants, initially filed by The CME Group in December 2017, was published by the US Patent Office (USPTO) on Thursday 8 February.

In most Blockchain networks, such as Bitcoin, the modification of the protocol currently requires a network consensus that can be difficult to achieve, making the system more resilient, but also more difficult to upgrade when needed .

The upgrade of Seggregate Witness (SegWit), originally designed to improve the malleability of 95% Consensus transactions to be activated, which took several months to form

CME uses the example of an airline loyalty program to demonstrate potential problems with the use of a Bl.

If an airline needs to increase transaction fees to transfer air miles or add a KYC / AML identity program, every node and minor in the network should approve the change by updating their software. If the majority does not go with the change, a fork in the Blockchain would occur, potentially leading to unpredictable results.

CME proposes in their patent a method "for synchronizing rule changes in a system that implements a blockchain for transactions." When a processor determines that a data message with a change of how the blocks are "processed for addition" to the blockchain is valid, generates a transaction in a new block that contains information on the change of operation of the Blockchain

This data will then be communicated to other systems in the Blockchain, and to all subsequent transactions after the block containing the data for the Change of operation will work according to the new rules.

CME Group has already shown that it is open to innovative ways of working with the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency space, thus becoming the second to CBOE by launching B itcoin to term in December 2017.