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Chamber of Digital Commerce Forms the Blockchain Intellectual Property Council

March 16, 2016 – Washington, D.C. – The Chamber of Digital Commerce has formed the Blockchain Intellectual Property Council (BIPC), an initiative to promote innovation in blockchain and distributed ledger technologies (DLT) by addressing intellectual property issues. The council will help balance the protection of proprietary information with the openness necessary for innovation.

The Blockchain Intellectual Property Council will be chaired by Marc Kaufman, Partner at Rimon Law; Patrick Murck, Special Counsel, Cooley & Fellow at Berkman Klein Center at Harvard; and James Murdock, Chief Business Officer and General Counsel at Blockstream.

“I am honored to help shape one of the most important discussions for the blockchain community,” said Kaufman. “Many players are aggressively pursuing patents in the DLT space, and managing patent risk must be a shared priority.”

“Balancing the open source mindset with proprietary technology is an early and critical challenge faced by the blockchain community,” said Murck. “An effective solution must be constructed with input from experts in both law and technology – with an eye to preserving opportunities for permissionless innovation.”

“Openness and collaboration are crucial to ensuring that permissionless innovation both thrives and evolves,” said Murdock. “Preserving these elements as the industry develops will be key to the success of the blockchain ecosystem.”

More than 40 institutions across technology, finance, academia and law have already committed to the council, including Blockstream, Bloq, Civic, Cognizant, Deloitte, Digital Currency Group, Gem, Medici Ventures, Microsoft, T0.com, TMX and Wipfli.

“Developing an industry-led defensive patent strategy is paramount to help protect innovation and drive wide adoption of blockchain-enabled technologies,” said Perianne Boring, Founder and President of the Chamber of Digital Commerce.

The BIPC Co-chairs will be presenting on the IP panel at the DC Blockchain Summit, hosted by The Chamber in Washington D.C., March 15-16. A kickoff meeting is scheduled for March 30, 2017. Academics, blockchain technologists, financial institutions, IP experts, open source communities and others interested in intellectual property issues are encouraged to sign up. Please contact Dan@DigitalChamber.org for additional details.

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About the Chamber of Digital Commerce

The Chamber of Digital Commerce is the world’s leading trade association dedicated to promoting the understanding, acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain technology. Through education, advocacy, and working closely with policymakers, regulatory agencies, and industry, our goal is to develop a pro-growth legal environment that fosters innovation, jobs and investment. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Chamber is the founder of the Blockchain Intellectual Property Council, the Smart Contracts Alliance, the Blockchain Alliance, the Global Blockchain Forum and other key industry initiatives.

For more information, please visit DigitalChamber.org or follow us on Twitter: @ChamberDigital.

Chamber Media Contact:
Erin Tye
Paragon Public Relations
Erin@paragonpr.com
+1.646.558.6226

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Newsroom

Dr. Robert E. Kahn, the “Father of the Internet” to keynote the Chamber of Digital Commerce’s Blockchain Summit

Chamber Membership Grows to Over 100 Representing a Broad Spectrum of Global Industry Thought Leaders

March 15, 2017 – Washington, D.C. – The Chamber of Digital Commerce, the world’s leading blockchain trade association, today announced that Dr. Robert E, Kahn, “the Father of the Internet,” will be keynoting its second annual DC Blockchain Summit.  The Chamber also announced the addition of more than 20 companies to its membership, as it continues to attract blockchain industry leaders across sectors.

The new members represent financial, legal, healthcare, investment and technology industries, including: Ad Meliora, AlphaPoint, Argon Group, BankCoin.Global, Bitcoin IRA, Blockchain Capital, Blockstream, Cooley LLP, Crowell & Moring LLP, Finchain, Frost Brown Todd, Grupo Cimcorp, Hashed Health, IHS Markit, Locke Lord LLP, Milligan Partners, OTC Exchange Network , PokitDok, Unocoin and Vertex. These companies join a membership base that has more than doubled over the past year, now comprising of over 100 members.

“Our expanding membership is a testament to the impact blockchain technology is already having across multiple industries,” said Perianne Boring, founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce. “The unique perspectives, skills and experiences that these new members bring to the table will be key in furthering the understanding and adoption of distributed ledger technology.”

The new members are being announced in advance of the sold-out DC Blockchain Summit 2017, hosted by the Chamber of Digital Commerce in Washington, DC in conjunction with Georgetown University. The Summit will be held March 15 and 16, and is available via livestream. The full agenda and livestream are available at digitalchamber.org.

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About the Chamber of Digital Commerce

The Chamber of Digital Commerce is the world’s leading trade association dedicated to promoting the understanding, acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain technology. Through education, advocacy, and working closely with policymakers, regulatory agencies, and industry, our goal is to develop a pro-growth legal environment that fosters innovation, jobs and investment. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Chamber is the founder of the Smart Contracts Alliance, the Blockchain Alliance, the Global Blockchain Forum and other key industry initiatives.

For more information, please visit DigitalChamber.org or follow us on Twitter: @ChamberDigital.

Chamber Media Contact:
Erin Tye
Paragon Public Relations
Erin@paragonpr.com
+1.646.558.6226

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Newsroom

Tax Coalition Forms to Address Digital Asset Uncertainty

March 8, 2017 — WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Chamber of Digital Commerce and Steptoe & Johnson LLP today announce the formation of the Digital Assets Tax Policy Coalition, a Washington, D.C.-based coalition created to help develop effective and efficient tax policies for the growing virtual currency markets. The move comes in response to a lack of recent guidance from the Internal Revenue Service, which since 2014 has considered digital currencies to be property, not currency, for tax purposes.

The Digital Assets Tax Policy Coalition intends to help develop policies that work for both the industry and government.  Developing these policies will allow the IRS to implement the recent recommendations by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) that the IRS develop a strategic plan for its virtual currency program and create third-party tools to allow for greater compliance, while minimizing the need for aggressive and burdensome enforcement actions.

Led by the Chamber of Digital Commerce, industry participants include some of the leading exchanges, wallet providers, and transaction processing companies in the digital asset sector.  Steptoe will serve as counsel to the Coalition.

“Clear tax treatment for digital assets is essential to ensure robust growth of this important sector,” said Perianne Boring, president and founder of the Chamber of Digital Commerce.

“We are proud to be working with the industry’s leading companies to engage with policymakers on an issue of vital importance to the sector. Tax solutions that allow the IRS to do its job without resorting to actions such as a John Doe summons will be of benefit to all,” said Jason Weinstein, partner at Steptoe and co-chair of Steptoe’s Blockchain and Digital Currency practice.

“Blockchain and digital asset technologies pose unique challenges to tax administration. We look forward to working with the Coalition to develop policies that minimize compliance burdens for the industry while also providing the IRS the tools it needs to administer the tax code effectively and efficiently,” said Cameron Arterton, of counsel at Steptoe.

The Digital Assets Tax Policy Coalition is another step in the industry’s efforts to proactively engage with government officials on issues of mutual concern. Last year, the Chamber of Digital Commerce co-founded the Blockchain Alliance to serve as a resource for law enforcement and a forum for open dialogue between the private and public sectors about digital assets and blockchain technology.  Steptoe leads and serves as counsel to the Alliance. The Digital Assets Tax Policy Coalition seeks to follow the same approach of open and cooperative engagement with policymakers on issues of mutual concern.

About the Chamber of Digital Commerce
The Chamber of Digital Commerce is the world’s leading trade association dedicated to promoting the understanding, acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain-based technologies. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Chamber is the founder of the Smart Contracts Alliance, the Blockchain Alliance, the Global Blockchain Forum and many other key industry initiatives. For more information, please visit DigitalChamber.org or follow us on Twitter: @ChamberDigital.

About Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Steptoe & Johnson LLP is an international law firm widely recognized for vigorous advocacy in complex litigation and arbitration, successful representation of clients before governmental agencies, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions.  The firm has more than 500 lawyers and other professionals in offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix and Washington.

Steptoe’s blockchain practice has a unique role in the blockchain industry and brings an unparalleled combination of FinTech, financial services, tax, regulatory, and law enforcement experience.  Over the past two and a half years, Steptoe has advised just about every type of participant in the blockchain ecosystem – including investors, entrepreneurs, early stage companies, exchanges, transaction processors, and retailers.  During this time, Steptoe has helped lead efforts to spread the word about the almost limitless possible applications for blockchain technology.  For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.

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Chamber Media Contact
Erin Tye
Paragon Public Relations
Erin@paragonpr.com
+1.646.558.6226

Steptoe Media Contact
Kathy King
Director of Media & Public Relations
Steptoe & Johnson LLP
kking@steptoe.com
+1.202.862.3817

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