Preston J. Byrne

Preston J. Byrne

Preston Byrne, a CoinDesk columnist, is a partner of Brown Rudnick’s Digital Commerce Group. He advises software, internet and fintech companies. His biweekly column, “Not Legal Advice,” is a roundup of pertinent legal topics in the crypto space. It is most definitely not legal advice. Preston Byrne, a CoinDesk columnist,

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DAOs Are Not the Next Home for Online Extremism
Wired claimed this week that decentralized autonomous organizations are gathering grounds for "dangerous groups." But the article misunderstands what DAOs actually do and what...
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The Many Layers of the SEC’s First NFT Enforcement Action
Preston Byrne, a crypto industry lawyer, argues different regulatory regimes apply to different ways of building code.
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Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse (Getty Images)
Ripple Labs Ruling Throws U.S. Crypto-Token Regulation into Disarray
The only thing this ruling guarantees is continued uncertainty in the cryptocurrency markets – uncertainty only Congress can correct.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse (Getty Images)
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U.K. Blazes Trail With New Cryptocurrency Rules
The FCA’s regulations provide greater legal clarity for developers but place additional compliance burdens on companies marketing cryptocurrencies, says Preston Byrne, a partn...
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How to Build a Compliant Crypto Exchange Post-Coinbase
Crypto isn’t going anywhere — though Coinbase might — so what the market needs is a fresh start: new exchanges that can avoid the ever-present threat of SEC enforcement by bei...
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SEC Chair Gary Gensler (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Economic Unreality: What SEC ICO Precedents Mean for Ripple
The history and future of crypto securities law told in four acts: Kik, Telegram, Library and Ripple.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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How to Build Decentralized Twitter
Crypto-based social media will be shaped by existing statutes, regulations and norms – and may be limited by its tech.
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Decentralization’s Challenge to Policymakers Is Coming
We are fast approaching a point where there will no longer be “decentralization theater” and things will get real.
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BlockFi CEO Zac Prince
BlockFi Is in Regulators' Crosshairs. DeFi Is Next
The DeFi industry should watch closely the regulatory actions taken against BlockFi and the securities questions being raised, CoinDesk columnist Preston Byrne writes.
BlockFi CEO Zac Prince
Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg/Getty Images
Bitcoin Doesn't Care if You Think It's Right Wing
Dogecoin co-founder Jackson Palmer says bitcoin is "inherently right-wing, hyper-capitalistic" but, really, it's whatever you want it to be, says our columnist.
Anthony Kwan/Bloomberg/Getty Images