Treatment of Bitcoin
Under U.S. Property Law
J. DAX HANSEN | PARTNER
+1.206.359.6324
DHansen@perkinscoie.com
PerkinsCoie.com/Blockchain
JOSHUA L. BOEHM | ASSOCIATE
+1.602.351.8161
JBoehm@perkinscoie.com
Perkins C oie LLP | Marc h 2017
Treatment of Bitcoin Under U.S. Property Law
Perkins C oie LLP | Marc h 2017
About Perkins Coie’s Blockchain Industry Group
Perkins Coie fea tures the world’s largest and lea ding Blockchain Technology & Digital C urrency industr y group
because we wer e here when it all began. Our firm s tarted advising clie nts about tokenization and bitc oin, and has since
expanded to hel ping our clients pioneer num erous and diverse uses of blockc hain technology.
LEADER , NOT A FOLLOWER
Establish ed in May 2013, this indus try group represents m ore of an evolution than a genesis. A s part of the greater
Electronic F inancial Services gro up, Perkins Coie has a long histo ry representing tech nology companies that provid e
consumer and fin ancial services, in cluding mobile payment provi ders, tokenized in-game ass ets, e-commerce
companies, an d marketplace payment ser vice providers. Natura lly, when the first Bitcoin and other de centralized virtual
currency c ompanies emerged, Perk ins Coie was uniquely situated to la unch an industr y group focused specifica lly on
blockchain tec hnology and digital curr ency that now has over 40 law yers advising client s across a range of issues. T his
group has helpe d more than 200 clients recon cile complex regulatory com pliance questions, as sess intellectual proper ty
opportunit ies, negotiate with regulators, a nd educate the greater popul ation about the promises of blo ckchain technology.
WE ARE HELPING SHAPE THE INDUS TRY
Our team parti cipates as observers to th e Uniform Law Commission Stud y Committee in its drai ng of a model
Regulation of Vir tual Currency Busines ses Act. We work closely with Co in Center, The Chamber of Digital Comm erce, and
the Bitcoin Foundati on, the world’s leading trade a ssociations representin g the digital asset and blo ckchain industry. We
are founding par ticipants in many ind ustry and acad emic initiatives including COAL A’s Blockchain Works hops, The Digital
Assets Acco unting Consortium, T he Berkman Klein Center for Inter net & Society’s Blockchain Roundt ables, The Smart
Contract s Alliance, and the DC Blockcha in Center.
YOUR LEGAL PAR TNER IN INNOVATION
Our multidiscipl inary group is on the front l ines, helping clients ad dress the complex legal issu es faced by bitcoin and
other virtual c urrency businesse s and partnering wit h those who are pioneering n ew blockchain and other dist ributed
ledger solutions t o many of today’s market challenges. We provid e regulatory complian ce counseling, litigation sup port,
consumer protec tion counseling, and busi ness transaction a ssistance for a range of bitco in and digital currenc y systems,
services a nd products. Our clie nts include virtual c urrency exchanges, b lockchain innovators both lar ge and small,
payment processors, investors, and industry associations.
We counsel virtua l currency industr y clients with respe ct to various regulator y issues, including com pliance with the Bank
Secrecy A ct, FinCEN regulations , and securities and comm odities laws and regulatio ns. We help them dra anti– money
launderin g policies and organize their inter nal policies and prac tices for compliance. We have also as sisted these clients
in the face of inquir ies and investigations by fed eral and state law enforceme nt and regulatory agen cies. Our experienced
Investigations an d White Collar Defense group re gularly defends corpo rate clients and individ uals against criminal a nd
civil allegation s of fraud, money launde ring, and other miscond uct. Our defense prac tice includes parti cular experience in
defending clie nts and property ag ainst government asset seiz ures and forfeitures.
