System and method for specifying and processing legality expressions

A computer-implemented method executed by one or more computing devices for specifying a legality expression for use in a system for processing said legality expression, said method comprising:

• selecting, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, at least one digital data element from a legality expression language, including at least one of,
• a duty element specifying an obligation that a principal must perform an act,
• a ban element specifying a prohibition that a principal must not perform an act, and
• a claim element specifying an assertion that a principal does perform an act;
• determining, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, at least one attribute value for the at least one data element;
• transforming, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, the at least one digital data element and the at least one attribute to create a legality expression;
• and
• recording, by at least one of the one or more computing devices, the legality expression in a form that can be interpreted by the system for processing legality expressions to thereby permit the system to enforce the legality expression.