Fundamentally, the promise of Web 3.0 relies on decentralization enabled by blockchain and the ability for internet users to take ownership of their content. While these aims may be construed from the outset as primarily technical in nature, their success will be equally dependent on community adoption. Even the most disruptive technologies have historically fallen short of expectations – as evidenced by the Betamax and VHS format wars of the 1980s – if they are not representative of their consumers1. Similarly, a Web 3.0 that works for everyone necessitates diverse inputs and an inclusive eco ..read more

Each January, the World Economic Forum (“WEF”) convenes global business leaders in Davos, Switzerland to discuss pressing societal issues. With this year’s theme of “Cooperation in a Fragmented World,” the conference’s 53rd installment was a fitting venue to release the Decentralized Autonomous Organization (“DAO”) Toolkit. 1 Co-sponsored by the Crypto Impact and Sustainability Accelerator (“CISA”) and the Blockchain Digital Asset Project (“BDAP”), this publication is noteworthy for introducing DAOs to a broader audience and highlighting their potential as vehicles of positive social change.2 ..read more

Some two decades ago, the internet as we know it – Web 2.0 – evolved from static, read-only webpages into dynamic environments where users can read and write content. With the shift from passive consumption of information to active participation in online communities, traffic on the “world wide web” skyrocketed from 600 million users in 2003 to over 5 billion people that access today’s internet.1 Yet even as over 64 “zettabytes” of content is uploaded to the internet each year, users paradoxically have little control over the information that they generate.2 For the tech companies that have bu ..read more

January 5, 2023 Whether or not we realize it, photographs and accompanying narratives play an essential role in our collective memory. Think of the pictures from the last 100 years that bring history to life:  the Tiananmen Square Tank Man (1989), Emmett Till’s casket (1955), The Women’s Suffrage Parade (1913). How different would our shared recollection be without these images? But in the modern era, anyone looking at documentation on the internet tends to ask, “Is this an actual picture/quotation/narrative or has it been manipulated?” The Problem: “Trust in digital media is broken”1 Whi ..read more

This is the sixth post in a series of eight about the discussions, leadership and community created at the first inaugural Blockchain Law for Social Good Conference held on October 20-21, 2022. This post features a fireside chat between the Center’s founding director, Professor Michele Neitz, and Marta Belcher, General Counsel and Head of Policy at Protocol Labs and President and Board Chair of the Filecoin Foundation. Professor Neitz and Ms. Belcher focused their discussion on privacy law and blockchain technology. The conversation began with Ms. Belcher articulating what she believes are to ..read more

This is the third post in a series of eight about the discussions, leadership and community created at the first inaugural Blockchain Law for Social Good Conference held on October 20-21, 2022. The third session of the day, titled “Pulp or Fiction: Are NFTs Changing Intellectual Property Norms?” was a lively discussion that covered how NFTs (non fungible tokens) have changed the world of intellectual property. Sarah Conley Odenkirk of Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard LLP, Belle Borovik Associate General Counsel and Head of IP at the Chia Network Inc., Martin White, Head of Litigation and ..read more

This is the second post in a series of eight about the discussions, leadership and community created at the first inaugural Blockchain Law for Social Good Conference held on October 20-21, 2022. The session entitled “Blockchain Litigation Update – Improving Access to Justice?”  provided conference attendees with a robust discussion on the   nuances and issues that they see coming up in the realm of litigation relating to crypto assets. Lyndsey C. Heaton of Sideman and Bancroft LLP, Jeffrey L. Steinfeld of Winston & Strawn LLP, and Professor Spencer Williams of Golden Gate Univer ..read more

On October 20-21, 2022, the Blockchain Law for Social Good Center held its inaugural annual conference. This is the first post in a series of eight posts about the discussions, leadership and community created at the event.  Professor Tonya Evans is a world-renowned speaker and crypto policy and education advisor with over 20 years of experience in law, academia, technology, and entrepreneurship. She currently teaches at Penn State Dickinson Law school as a tenured professor and was the opening keynote speaker at the BL4SG Conference. In her presentation, Professor Evans spoke about her ..read more

The Partnership In May 2022, the Blockchain Law for Social Good Center and the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) partnered to research the impacts of self-sovereign identity and a decentralized, consent-based model for the future of digital identities.  The Purpose The research article, published in October 2022, highlights the benefits and constraints faced by government agencies in their application of decentralized technologies. The article also underscored the importance of the decentralized model, offering use cases from nations and U.S. states researching the most effici ..read more

This week we are spotlighting the first-ever Blockchain Law for Social Good Conference! The conference took place last week on October 20th and 21st.  The conference included speakers and panels about blockchain technology, related legal issues, and the social impact potential of this emerging industry. One of our notable keynote speakers was Dickinson Law Professor, Tonya Evans. Professor Evans spoke about her personal experiences with economic justice and explained blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies, and other crypto assets as ways to level the playing field for traditionally margi ..read more