VOL. 9 NO. 1
Kleros-Stanford Symposium Paper
Universal Digital Law Codex (UDLC): Building the Legal Infrastructure for the Digital Era
by Andreas Furrer, Professor of Law at the University of Lucerne and Wulf Kaal, Professor at University of Saint Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis)
Published: Jan 04, 2026
UDLC as proposed integrates distributed ledger technology, AI and quantum computing into existing legal systems via minimum legal requirements, dynamic compliance mechanisms and decentralized dispute resolution, ensuring smart contracts align with common and civil law principles.
Articles
A Developer Theory of Disclosure
by Chris Brummer, Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Financial Technology at Georgetown University Law Center
Published: Jan 04, 2026
As decentralized systems grow in complexity and economic importance, creating disclosures that prioritize usability and understanding is key to building trust, fostering innovation, and optimizing the allocation of not only investor capital but also developer time and innovation.
Comment
Leveraging Blockchain in a New Era of Antitrust
by Reid Yager, Head of Policy at Flashbots, Samuel Vance-Law, Principal Researcher at the Decentralization Research Center, Alejo Salles, Co-founder of Flashbots, and Connor Spelliscy, Executive Director at the Decentralization Research Center
Published: Jan 04, 2026
Blockchain systems introduce novel ways for businesses to align their interests, find new efficiencies in shared services, and create open marketplaces for competition while providing consumers with choice, transparent price discovery, and more purchasing power.
Conference Report
VOL. 8 NO. 2
Articles
Comment
VOL. 8 NO. 1
Articles
AI Governance Via Web3 Reputation System
by Wulf A. Kaal, Professor at University of Saint Thomas School of Law (Minneapolis)
Published: Jan 03, 2025
By enabling secure transactions, ensuring data integrity, managing identities, and coordinating actions through shared protocols, Web3 can foster a governance model that is adaptable, transparent, and responsive to the fast-paced changes characteristic of modern AI technologies.
Governance of Emerging Technologies Symposium Papers
Compressed to 0: The Silent Strings of Proof of Personhood
by Puja Ohlhaver, Member of the Getting Plurality Network at Harvard’s Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation, Mikhail Nikulin, Founder of Idena, and Paula Berman, COO of RadicalxChange
Published: Jan 03, 2025
This paper chronicles Idena’s experiment in Proof of Personhood from launch in August 2019 to a crisis in May 2022, which prompted a pivot towards a novel experiment in sublinear identity staking.
An Alternative Juridical Take on Cryptoassets
by Federico Pucci, Research Scholar at the University of Adelaide
Published: Jan 03, 2025
What if we were to characterise cryptoassets as wallets, not units? This Article reduces the characterisation of cryptoassets to the perspective of the holder. The analysis that flows from this approach potentially opens possession-based remedies such as conversion.
VOL. 7 NO. 2
Article
by Georg Lorenz, Attorney, Capital Markets Law; J.S.M., Stanford Law School
Published: Jun 28, 2024
Based on empirical findings from 19 interviews with businesses, regulators, VC investors and other experts in DeFi, the Author argues that a practical, fair, transparent, and workable regulatory solution will require more than slightly amending traditional regulatory instruments.
Governance of Emerging Technologies Symposium Paper
Emerging Conversation Surrounding DAOs in Asia
Published: Jun 28, 2024
The DAO UTokyo conference brought together a diverse group of practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to discuss the status of DAO-related developments in Asia, and to evaluate the potential of DAOs to reshape various aspects of society, ranging from economics to governance.
VOL. 7 NO. 1
Article
by Andrew C. Michaels, Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center
Published: Jan 02, 2024
The general confusion surrounding the likelihood of confusion inquiry in trademark law is exacerbated by that which surrounds NFTs. Given the circularity inherent in the analysis and the context's relative novelty, courts have an opportunity to shape how it will apply to NFTs.
Governance of Emerging Technologies Symposium Papers
Introduction to the Symposium Series
Published: Jan 02, 2024
This issue inaugurates the Symposium Series, which showcases papers exploring the impacts of emerging technologies on democratic governance, rule of law, and socioeconomic inequality. While Web3 remains a regular theme, symposia also will cover adjacent technologies.
AI and Democracy’s Digital Identity Crisis
by Shrey Jain, Research Affiliate at GETTING-Plurality Network, Connor Spelliscy, Executive Director at the Decentralization Research Center, Samuel Vance-Law, Senior Researcher at the Decentralization Research Center, and Scott Moore, Founder of Public Works and Co-founder of Gitcoin
Published: Jan 02, 2024
By understanding how identity attestations are positioned across the spectrum of decentralization, we can better grasp their costs/benefits. Improving and integrating them into our interactions with the digital sphere will help protect democratic systems from AI-generated harm.
Adaptive Governance for Blockchain Networks
by Esen Esener, Researcher at BlockchainGov
Published: Jan 02, 2024
Blockchain networks should develop legal resilience within their governance mechanisms. The Author investigates the theory of adaptive governance and its applicability to blockchain networks with the aim of helping them adapt to regulatory changes while staying decentralized.
Toward Equitable Ownership and Governance in the Digital Public Sphere
by Connor Spelliscy, Executive Director at the Decentralization Research Center, Sarah Hubbard, Fellow at the Harvard Ash Center, Nathan Schneider, Assistant Professor of Media Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Samuel Vance-Law, Senior Researcher at the Decentralization Research Center
Published: Jan 02, 2024
This paper explores how newly developed DAO tooling could help co-ops compete in the online economy.
VOL. 6 NO. 2
Articles
Resolving NFT and Blockchain Disputes
by Amy J. Schmitz, John Deaver Drinko-Baker & Hostetler Professor of Law at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law
Published: Jun 24, 2023
The Author proposes that online arbitration may be the best means for efficiently and fairly resolving NFT and blockchain-related disputes.
Towards an Effective Regulatory and Governance Framework for Central Bank Digital Currencies
by Nancy Michail, PhD Candidate at Macquarie Law School and Niloufer Selvadurai, Professor of Technology Law and Director of Research and Innovation at Macquarie Law School
Published: Jun 24, 2023
This paper critically analyzes the current legal scholarship and legal reform discourse of nations around the world with respect to central bank digital currencies and presents a taxonomy for measuring efficacy.
Essays
We Got The Kingdom, We Got The Key: Corporate Bankruptcy And Cryptocurrency
by Stephen J. Lubben, Harvey Washington Wiley Professor of Law at Seton Hall University School of Law
Published: Jun 24, 2023
The Author doubts the need for substantial changes to the Bankruptcy Code with respect to cryptocurrency, and instead advocates for slight changes along with continued skepticism about subsidizing purported innovation through changes to bankruptcy law.
The Crown, the Market and the DAO
by Maury Shenk, Senior Advisor at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Sven Van Kerckhoven, Professor of Business and Economics and Vice-Dean at Brussels School of Governance (VUB), and Jonas Weinberger, Co-Founder & Legal Consultant at IBPL, DLT360
Published: Jun 24, 2023
Upon analyzing competing factors, on balance, the Authors question the notion that all DAOs should be considered as constituting general partnerships, discuss different possible avenues for their legal treatment, and provide recommendations for regulators and adjudicators.
The Case for On-Chain Privacy and Compliance
by Shlomit Azgad-Tromer, CEO and Chief Legal Officer at Sealance Corp., Joey Garcia, Director and Head of Legal & Regulatory Affairs at Xapo Bank, and Eran Tromer, Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University
Published: Jun 24, 2023
We argue that advances in cryptography and blockchain technology can overcome the false binary choice between privacy and compliance, via blockchain-native solutions that permit on-chain compliance programmable and tailored to jurisdictional needs and enforced by consensus rules.
ISSN 2688-4836 (Print)
ISSN 2688-481X (Online)