Intellectual Property Marco Santori Joins Team as Global Policy Counsel This article was originally published on CoinDesk on September 8, 2014. by Tanaya Macheel, CoinDesk

Blockchain announced today Blockchain offers a popular that it has retained New York wallet and block explorer service, and business attorney and commercial has popular bitcoin developer and litigator Marco Santori as its global lecturer as an policy counsel. advisor to its board.

Santori, who recently also joined An educational mission the firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw For Santori’s part, he told CoinDesk Marco Santori Pittman, told The Wall Street Journal the move was motivated by two Intellectual Property that Blockchain “espouses the values things: the synergy and values of +1.212.858.1141 that bitcoin is meant to advance”, and Blockchain and Pillsbury Winthrop, [email protected] that such values helped motivate his and his mission to educate those who decision to work more formally with want to learn about bitcoin. Marco Santori is a counsel in Pillsbury’s the company. Intellectual Property practice and is located in “I think Blockchain is really poised to the New York office. Described by American The move can also be seen an continue its explosive growth from Banker as “the dean of indication of bitcoin’s maturing its experience over the last couple of lawyers,” Marco is a recognized authority in regulatory environment. years,” he said. the law of digital currencies and emerging payments. He counsels exchanges, payment Blockchain CEO Nic Cary told Speaking of the traditional payments processors, institutional miners, and other CoinDesk that many regulators are team at Pillsbury Winthrop, he added: companies making new and exciting uses beginning to thoughtfully analyze “I like to think that when our powers of distributed technology, including bitcoin as well as the various business combine we’ll have the best bitcoin so-called “Bitcoin 2.0” implementations. He models of bitcoin companies. He also regulatory team in the country.” serves as Chairman of the ’s said that clear leaders have emerged Regulatory Affairs Committee and is the winner in the legal field, and these experts Santori pointed out that not all of the first annual Blockchain Award for Bitcoin are now doing very specialized work bitcoin companies have the same Legal Expert. in the digital currency space. vision or take the same path, and that he is keen to continue on the one he’s He added: taken with Blockchain, “helping close the knowledge gap”. “Marco represents the best of the industry, in terms of success, but just He said: as importantly, Marco is committed to a vision of a consumer friendly, “One of Blockchain’s missions is going safe and decentralized future.” to be helping educate regulators on

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP www.pillsburylaw.com Intellectual Property Marco Santori Joins Blockchain Team as Global Policy Counsel

how Blockchain works differently than other wallet providers […] It’s really going to be an educational mission more than anything.”

Community influence Santori is a leading figure on bitcoin law in the US and is a proponent of maintaining a dialogue regarding digital currency regulation and policy

In particular, Santori has been influential in many US regulatory cases – particularly those out of New York this year. He gave written testimony opposing the proposed New York State BitLicense at the January hearings overseen by New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) superintendent Benjamin Lawsky.

Santori is also the chairman of the Bitcoin Foundation’s Regulatory Affairs Committee – a role he’ll keep when he takes on his new position – and author of CoinDesk’s series on bitcoin law.

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