A thin DOJ policy memo is no substitute for legal protection
Lewellen argues that DOJ enforcement discretion cannot replace clear legal protection for non-custodial developers
On Monday, Michael Lewellen filed a reply brief [PDF] in an appeal against the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, arguing...
The Crypto Tax Bill Gets Block Rewards Wrong
A markup in the Ways and Means Committee today perpetuates the legal mistake made by the IRS
The House Ways and Means Committee is considering a crypto tax bill today that addresses many of Coin Center’s priorities. There are thoughtful provisions we support, including continued progress on...
The proposed BRCA changes are a tough pill to swallow
The revised language stops short of resolving the essential criminal law issue; Lewellen’s lawsuit becomes that much more important.
The Senate is scheduled for a pivotal vote on the Clarity Act tomorrow, and in an effort to secure the 60 votes needed for passage, the drafters have made last-minute...
Congress wants answers on agency surveillance of Americans’ bank accounts
On August 10, 2026, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Representatives Warren Davidson (R-OH), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) wrote a letter to the Acting Comptroller General for the...
The CLARITY fight is bigger than crypto. It’s revealing the case for more control of the internet.
A critic of CLARITY, in coming for crypto, inadvertently (or not) reveals a tech authoritarian dream.
A recent op-ed’s critique of the developer protections in the CLARITY Act rests on an appealing slogan: “Accountability follows power.” But the provisions the author, Carole House, attacks embody precisely...
Non-prosecution promises are not enough: Courts must rule on devs and money transmission
Developer Lewellen lays out what’s at stake for open-source speech and user privacy
Michael Lewellen has filed his opening brief in the Fifth Circuit, arguing that software developers like him face a credible threat of prosecution for unlicensed money transmission and deserve a...
Congress must understand: Block rewards are newly created property, not income.
Some proposals merely defer income tax treatment for miners and stakers without doing anything about the underlying misconception
Mining bitcoin creates new property. The Bitcoin software permits those who successfully validate transactions to create new coins for themselves. There are currently more than 20 million bitcoins in circulation,...
The BRCA is ready to become law
The BRCA’s final text reflects the concerns of skeptics while preserving the protection non-custodial developers need.
Coin Center has advocated for a safe harbor from money transmission licensing and liability since 2016. That effort began to bear fruit when Representatives Tom Emmer and Darren Soto introduced...
The BRCA survived Clarity’s markup. Do not give it up now.
Coin Center is encouraged by the advancement of the Clarity Act through the Senate Banking Committee with the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) included and not undermined by ill-conceived amendments....
Continuing the fight for developer rights with appeal to Fifth Circuit
With Coin Center’s support, developer Michael Lewellen is challenging the DOJ’s argument that he has no credible fear of prosecution for publishing his privacy software.
Michael Lewellen has filed a notice of appeal in Lewellen v. Garland to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, seeking review of the district court’s March 25...