Patrick Byrne may finally get his vindication.

The CEO of Overstock.com has fought for a dozen years against amarket abuse called naked short selling, where investors bet astock will drop without first taking the required step of borrowingshares. He says it was used back in 2005 to drive down hiscompany's stock, an episode that spurred a Securities and ExchangeCommission probe and set Byrne on a crusade to improveaccountability in the system that underlies U.S. stockownership.

Finally an answer is near, thanks to Delaware. Last month, thehome state for most incorporated companies in the U.S. made itlegal for corporations to offer digital shares that would berecorded and tracked on a blockchain, the ledger that powerscryptocurrencies like bitcoin. Delaware officials hope the movewill increase ownership accountability and clarity. The new law,more than a year in the making, is also a shot across the bow forthe Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. and its little-knownpartner Cede & Co., the legal holder of the vast majority ofU.S. stocks.