Gabriel Shapiro: ZeroLaw – A Philosophy of Securities Laws for Tokenized Networks (#328)

Gabriel Shapiro is an independent attorney who has spent the last two years focusing on the tokens and crypto. He has published several pieces diving deep into US Securities Law, in which he shares his vision and philosophy for how Tokenized Networks should be regulated. In light of the recent “safe harbor” framework proposed by SEC Commissioner Hester Pierce, Gabriel offers his thoughts and suggests how these measures could be improved in a way that would benefit the entire industry.

Topics discussed in this episode:
- Gabriel’s background and how he got into the blockchain space
- What motivated Gabriel to write his series of posts
- Why Securities Laws in the US appear more complex than other countries
- The classifications we give tokens - commodities, currencies
- The Howey Test and how it applies in the crypto space
- What the Exchange Act 1984 is and the impact this has on companies that issue securities
- Why crypto networks not complying with the Securities Law aren’t being punished
- What is wrong in the blockchain industry and what it has to do with Securities Law
- Gabriel’s philosophy and how Securities Law should be applied when issuing tokens and launching networks
- The Safe Harbor proposal - what it is, how it defines things like decentralization and network maturity
- Gabriel’s thoughts on how things can be improved

Links mentioned in this episode:
- ZeroLaw Website: https://bit.ly/2wGDciJ
- Tokenizing Corporate Capital Stock: https://bit.ly/2TgUvhV
- An open letter to SEC Commissioner Peirce on token safe harbors: https://bit.ly/2VnAk4K
- Size Does Matter — Part 1, Gabriel Shapiro: https://bit.ly/32sponL
- Size Does Matter — Part 2, Gabriel Shapiro: https://bit.ly/2TdFMEB
- Size Does Matter — Part 3, Gabriel Shapiro: https://bit.ly/383TLm0
- Size Does Matter — Part 4, Gabriel Shapiro: https://bit.ly/2T036Hc
- Ethereum’s ‘Bazaar’ Development Model Will Pay Off in 2020: https://bit.ly/2wEqFwe
- Hester Peirce: Tell Me How to Improve My Safe Harbor Proposal: https://bit.ly/2VnyUHh
- Preston Byrne: Peirce’s Safe Harbor Proposal Would Be Hilarious if It Weren’t so Serious: https://bit.ly/2HSKm67
- ZeroLaw Twitter: https://bit.ly/2SXfO9z
- Gabriel Shapiro Twitter: https://bit.ly/2vf0KuS
- Epicenter Meetup at EthCC: http://bit.ly/2UU85ug
- Epicenter 2020 Audience Survey: http://bit.ly/37wKZwr

Sponsors:
- Pepo: Meet the people shaping the crypto movement - https://pepo.com/epicenter
- Nervos: If you’re a developer or project seeking funding for an innovative idea, check out the Nervos Grants Program today - https://www.nervos.org/grants

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Brian Fabian Crain. Show notes and listening options: https://epicenter.tv/328