Blockchain could turn out to be an ally—or trouble—for copyright holders.

The underpinnings of the developing technology, which acts like an inerasable, chronological database of transactions, appear to be at odds with a 20 year-old law that protects copyright holders from infringement.

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) allows copyright holders to seek removal of infringing content and protects publishers and internet service providers from liability if they remove such content after being notified. But if the infringing content is posted on a blockchain, it would be difficult or impossible to erase, Bloomberg Law reporter Alexis Kramer said in a recent podcast episode of Code & Conduit.