Advocacy Organizations
Types of Advocates:
Activists/Associations/Advocacy Groups
Thinktanks/Education
Trade Orgs
U.S. Orgs:
LeXpunK Army
Mission: Community of lawyers, devs, activists and crypto enthusiasts dedicated to providing open source resources and support for crypto and DeFi.
Focus: Legal activism, research, and collaboration in crypto.
Website: https://lexpunk.com/
Contributions: Lexpunk.eth
Past Initiatives:
a. Regulation X: A collaborative guide to understanding and navigating the regulation of decentralized finance (DeFi) in the United States: https://github.com/lexpunk/regulation-x
b. DAO Defense Manual: A guide for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) to understand legal considerations and potential litigation risks: https://github.com/lexpunk/dao-defense-manual
LexDAO
Mission: To build and support a decentralized legal ecosystem that fosters trust and coordination.
Focus: Legal engineering, decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), smart contracts, and the intersection of law and blockchain technology.
Website: https://www.lexdao.org/
Donation: Join their Discord channel to inquire about donations: https://discord.com/invite/9QxWC9cU6m
Past Initiatives:
a. Ricardian LLC Operating Agreement: https://github.com/lexDAO/Legal-Engine/blob/master/templates/Ricardian%20LLC%20Operating%20Agreement.md
b. LAO Tokenized Operating Agreement: https://github.com/lexDAO/Legal-Engine/blob/master/templates/LAO%20Tokenized%20Operating%20Agreement.md
c. Legal Wrapper for ERC-721 Non-Fungible Tokens: https://github.com/lexDAO/Legal-Wrapper
d. LexLocker - Decentralized Escrow Service: https://github.com/lexDAO/LexLocker
e. Legal Engineering Resources: https://github.com/lexDAO/Legal-Engine
Coin Center
Mission: To advocate for sound government policy towards cryptocurrencies and decentralized technologies.
Focus: Research, education, and advocacy for blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies.
Website: https://www.coincenter.org/
Donations: https://www.coincenter.org/donate/
Past Initiatives:
a. Framework for Securities Regulation of Cryptocurrencies: https://www.coincenter.org/app/uploads/2016/01/SECFramework2.5.pdf
b. The Bank Secrecy Act, Cryptocurrencies, and New Tokens: https://www.coincenter.org/app/uploads/2017/12/2017-12-14-bsa-crypto-token-paper.pdf
c. State Digital Currency Principles and Framework: https://www.coincenter.org/app/uploads/2015/08/State-Digital-Currency-Principles-and-Framework-Version-2.0.pdf
d. A Response to "The Travel Rule": https://www.coincenter.org/a-response-to-the-travel-rule/
e. Blockchain 101 Videos: https://www.coincenter.org/video-what-is-bitcoin/
Blockchain Association
Mission: To promote the adoption of blockchain technology and advocate for pro-innovation policies.
Focus: Lobbying, regulatory affairs, and public policy.
Website: https://theblockchainassociation.org/
Donation: Contact them directly through their website.
Past Initiatives:
a. Open Letter Regarding the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: https://theblockchainassociation.org/open-letter/
b. Crypto for Congress: https://theblockchainassociation.org/crypto-for-congress/
c. Public response to FinCEN proposed rulemaking: https://theblockchainassociation.org/our-public-response-to-fincen/
d. The Blockchain Association's response to FATF draft guidance: https://theblockchainassociation.org/blockchain-associations-response-to-fatf-draft-guidance/
e. Comment letter to the SEC on the Custody Rule: https://theblockchainassociation.org/sec-custody-letter/
DeFi Education Fund
Mission: To promote, provide, and create educational resources for decentralized finance (DeFi).
Focus: Education, research, policy, and advocacy for the DeFi ecosystem.
Website: https://defieducationfund.org/
Donation: Contact them directly through their website or email at info@defieducationfund.org to inquire about donations.
Bankless Legal
Mission: To create and promote a decentralized legal infrastructure for the emerging decentralized finance ecosystem.
Focus: Legal research, education, and collaboration in the blockchain and DeFi spaces, with a focus on making legal resources more accessible.
Website: Bankless Legal is part of the broader Bankless movement, which can be found at https://www.banklesshq.com/.
Chamber of Digital Commerce
Mission: To promote the acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain technology.
Focus: Advocacy, education, and collaboration for the digital asset and blockchain industry.
Website: https://digitalchamber.org/
Donation: Contact them directly through their website.
Past Initiatives:
a. Token Alliance Whitepaper: https://digitalchamber.org/token-alliance-whitepaper/
b. Smart Contracts Alliance: https://digitalchamber.org/initiatives/smart-contracts/
c. State Legislative and Regulatory Tracker: https://digitalchamber.org/initiatives/state-legislative-and-regulatory-tracker/
d. Digital Assets Accounting Consortium: https://digitalchamber.org/initiatives/digital-assets-accounting-consortium/
e. Blockchain Intellectual Property Council: https://digitalchamber.org/initiatives/blockchain-intellectual-property-council/
Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)
Mission: To defend civil liberties in the digital world.
Focus: Privacy, free expression, and digital innovation, including cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.
Website: https://www.eff.org/
Donation: https://supporters.eff.org/donate/
Past Initiatives:
a. Amicus Brief in the case of U.S. v. Gratkowski: https://www.eff.org/document/amicus-brief-53
b. EFF defends Hodlonaut's right to remain pseudonymous: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/05/eff-supports-hodlonauts-right-remain-pseudonymous
c. EFF opposes California's cryptocurrency regulation bill: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/08/eff-opposes-californias-bitcoin-license
d. EFF and ACLU lawsuit against the warrantless searches of travelers' devices: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/09/eff-and-aclu-sue-over-warrantless-phone-and-laptop-searches-us-border
e. EFF's "Surveillance Self-Defense" guide: https://ssd.eff.org/
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