New Blockchain Legislative Definitions Project Report from the University of San Francisco School of Law Clears Path for More Effective Lawmaking

SAN FRANCISCO (March 5, 2025) – The Center for Law, Tech and Social Good (CLTSG) at the University of San Francisco School of Law (USF Law) has released the Blockchain Legislation Definitions (BLD) Project Report, offering a comprehensive analysis of the fragmented legal landscape that surrounds blockchain technology in the United States. The BLD Project also serves as a tool in the Center’s Government Training program on blockchain for State legislators, agencies, and employees.

“This report exemplifies the problems with our current system: it is impossible to regulate clearly without standardized definitions,” said Professor Michele Neitz, founding director, USF Center for Law, Tech and Social Good. “The BLD data offers guidance for state lawmakers seeking to capitalize on innovation in their jurisdictions.”

The goal of the BLD Report was to capture a critical snapshot of blockchain-related legislation from May to August 2023 (updated in September 2024), helping portray the immense differences in terminology and regulatory approaches across various states. As blockchain adoption continues to strengthen and regulatory frameworks are constantly evolving, a lack of consistency has emerged. This presents many challenges and opportunities for policymakers, industry leaders, and legal experts.

“The lack of standardized language in blockchain-related laws presents significant challenges in interpreting and informing better rules,” stated Professor Charles Belle, the Filecoin Foundation for Decentralized Web’s teaching fellow at CLTSG. “Fragmented terminology can lead to confusion, inconsistencies, and legal uncertainties. The BLD Project highlights disjointed language across various pieces of legislation to aid in the creation of more effective and cohesive laws.”

Challenges highlighted by the BLD Report include fragmented data and formats, sparse legislation, and inaccessible information. Despite these challenges, the BLD repository stands as a robust compilation of legislative information across various domains, including finance, tax, and privacy. For government agencies and policymakers, it serves as a training tool, enabling analysis of regulatory trends, identification of gaps, and formulation of data-driven policy recommendations.

The BLD Report captures CLTSG’s leadership within blockchain policy research, recognizing USF Law’s reputation in legal technology. 

“The BLD Report is a useful tool for lawyers, lawmakers, and policymakers and demonstrates the Center’s contributions to understanding emerging technology law,” said USF School of Law Dean Johanna Kalb. “The report’s data can be used to develop frameworks for blockchain regulation, which will benefit everyone in the long term.”

The Center plans to expand and refine the BLD repository to advance knowledge sharing, fuel thoughtful discourse, and shape a robust regulatory framework that harnesses the transformative potential of blockchain technology for social good.

View the Blockchain Legislation Definition Project Report.

About the USF Center for Law, Tech and Social Good

USF’s Center for Law, Tech, and Social Good is an academic center and training ground for lawyers, lawmakers, policy-enforcers and aspiring lawyers to examine the social impacts of emerging technologies and their regulation using an ethical framework. The Center’s mission is to pioneer the integration of legal education with emerging technologies to advance the social good. Through innovative education, rigorous research, and collaborative projects, the Center aims to tackle the foremost legal challenges presented by the digital era.

About the University of San Francisco

The University of San Francisco is a private, Jesuit Catholic university that reflects the diversity, optimism, and opportunities of the city that surrounds it. USF offers more than 230 undergraduate, graduate, professional, and certificate programs in the arts and sciences, business, law, education, and nursing and health professions. At USF, each course is an intimate learning community in which top professors encourage students to turn learning into positive action, so the students graduate equipped to do well in the world — and inspired to change it for the better. For more information, visit usfca.edu.