Are “Free Legal Services” for Startups Worth It?

Written by: Aaron Krowne, Esq. Some of our esteemed big-firm colleagues have taken it upon themselves to offer free legal services to startups.  Some startups — who are generally cash-pressed and watching their “runways” closely — are starting to take the plunge. But is it worth it? As a starting point, many startup, small business, […]

Status and Near-Term Prognosis of the SEC Case Against Ripple

The SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple is a landmark crypto case.1 Filed in 2020, it centres on whether various of Ripple’s historical sales and distributions of XRP were unregistered securities offerings. The SEC argues that XRP qualifies as a security under the Howey Test. However, Ripple maintains that it is a digital asset utilized for payments […]

SEC Broker-Dealer Enforcements Against Crypto Market-Makers: Summary and Implications

Written by: Aaron Krowne, Esq. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been cracking down in recent years on crypto market-makers for allegedly operating as unregistered broker-dealers—firms that execute trades, facilitate transactions, or provide liquidity for others. Many assumed they were exempt from traditional broker-dealer rules due to regulatory uncertainty. However, as the market […]

A Discussion of the Part 1 of the U.S. Copyright Office Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence

Written by: Eric Goldman The U.S. Copyright Office is actively engaged in monitoring the impact artificial intelligence (AI) systems are having on intellectual property, recognizing the traditionally symbiotic relationship between copyright and technology. In early 2023, the Copyright Office announced an initiative to explore the intersection of copyright and AI. A Notice of Inquiry (NOI) […]

Working with Key Opinion Leaders in Web3, a Legal Perspective

Written by: Efren Medina and Aaron Krowne, Esq. As the web3 landscape grows, Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) have emerged as increasingly important figures in driving adoption and engagement for emerging projects.  Unlike traditional influencers, KOLs in web3 often bring specialized knowledge in web3 gaming, blockchain, NFTs and tokenomics, making their opinions invaluable to both newer and established […]

AI Litigation Highlights: Anthropic PBC

Large language model (LLM) generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming more and more common in all aspects of life. These systems have the ability to respond to queries from users and generate responses. Who hasn’t had the experience of calling a customer service telephone line and being prompted by an automated system to answer a series […]

The SEC Has Spoken: Is it Open Season for Memecoin Issuers?

Written by: Aaron Krowne, Esq. The SEC made news on February 27, 2025, by releasing a favorable statement regarding memecoin issuances.  Close SEC-watchers in the crypto world already expected that the new SEC leadership (as part of the dramatic political change in Executive Branch administration) was likely to have a more favorable stance towards memecoins – however, this […]

Legal Challenges in Defining and Regulating Smart Contracts

Written by: Aaron Krowne Smart contracts—self-executing agreements encoded onto blockchain networks—are revolutionizing business processes across industries like finance, real estate, and supply chain management. These contracts automatically execute the terms of an agreement once predefined conditions are met, reducing the need for intermediaries and promising greater efficiency, transparency, and security. However, as with any transformative technology, […]

Best Practices – Play to Airdrop

Written by: Efren Medina Play to Airdrop (P2A) is a recent tactic used by web3 projects to mass market their game to users of the project’s platform. It typically involves an incentive leaderboard structure with token rewards based on an individual’s ranking of final points. Airdrop points are given for engagement, in-game achievements and sometimes […]

ICO Securities Compliance: Navigating the Legal Landscape

Written by: Aaron Krowne Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have become a popular method for blockchain ventures to raise capital. However, the rise of ICOs (and other forms of token-issuances, sometimes also called “Initial DEX Offerings” or “IDOs”, “Initial Exchange Offerings” or “ILOs”, or a variety of other terms–hereunder, all “ICOs”) has brought significant regulatory scrutiny, […]