Blockchain businesses make long-term commitments to technology that keeps changing. CipherLaw helps founders, protocol teams, infrastructure providers, and investors protect what they build, understand the rights they depend on, and structure the agreements that support growth. We combine intellectual property counsel with deep cryptography expertise. We use PQScope, our proprietary research tooling, to investigate the post-quantum developments that may shape a product’s future.
Intellectual property supporting business value
A blockchain business can depend on technology developed by founders, employees, contractors, research collaborators, and open-source communities. Understanding what the company owns and what it licenses is part of building a durable business.
We advise on patents, ownership, and protection strategy for protocol infrastructure, wallet and custody technology, privacy systems, and other technical advances. We work with the people building the product to identify its distinctive features and develop an IP strategy that supports the company’s plans for investment, licensing, and growth.
Licensing and development partnerships
Technology partnerships need clear terms for what each party brings, what they can use, and who owns the improvements. Those questions become especially important when proprietary development depends on shared infrastructure or open-source components.
We advise on technology licenses, joint development agreements, contributor arrangements, and rights in improvements. Our work connects the commercial agreement to the technology it covers, so teams can understand the rights and obligations that accompany a collaboration.
Technical and intellectual property diligence
An investor or acquirer needs to understand whether a company’s rights support the business it is building. A patent portfolio, a codebase, and a set of partnership agreements each tell part of that story.
We examine ownership, patent claims, licenses, and technical dependencies in the context of the product and the transaction. We help founders prepare for that review and help investors assess where a target’s technical position is supported by its IP and where further work is needed.
Intellectual property considerations in the post-quantum transition
For a protocol, wallet, or custody business, changing cryptographic technology can affect product design, partnerships, and the rights needed to deliver an upgrade. Teams need to make those decisions while both the technology and the surrounding ecosystem continue to develop.
CipherLaw advises on the IP and contractual questions surrounding new signature systems, wallet and custody upgrades, and the ability to change cryptographic algorithms over time. We work with technical teams to assess relevant patent rights and license terms, protect substantive implementation advances, and allocate responsibilities in development and licensing agreements.
Our Standards and IP Strategy practice provides the research and standards analysis behind this work. Here, the focus is the product, the commercial relationships, and the decisions needed to move the business forward.
Research intelligence from PQScope
A post-quantum roadmap calls for evidence about what is being researched, implemented, and standardized. PQScope, built by CipherLaw for use in our legal work, connects those records with patent disclosures and the people and organizations involved.
We use that evidence to investigate developments relevant to a client’s technology choices, competitive position, and potential partners. An engagement can examine the work behind a proposed upgrade, the implementation record around a cryptographic approach, or dependencies that warrant attention before a partnership or investment.
The result is advice grounded in the technical record and directed toward a business decision.