Bitcoin Stack Exchange
Bitcoin Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [legal]

Legal issues relating to the use of Bitcoins or similar crypto-currencies. This includes issues of legal compliance with legal areas such as taxation, money laundering, international currency controls, and so on. Please do not ask for legal advice.

Legal issues relating to the use of Bitcoins or similar crypto-currencies. This includes issues of legal compliance with legal areas such as taxation, money laundering, international currency controls, and so on.

Not for legal advice

This tag is border-line off-topic, as Bitcoin Stack Exchange is about crypto-currencies and not about legal advice. However, it is useful for questions about general legal trends that concern a broad range of the community, and where it might not be as important that the answers are actually water-tight. Examples for such questions include:

This tag should not be used to ask specific legal counsel concerning your personal situation. Don't ask here, if you need definitive legal advice, hire a lawyer instead. You might find the following two questions helpful concerning that.

The discussion about this tag can be found at How do we handle legal advice / questions on legality?

200 questions
36
votes
18 answers

I paid in bitcoin, now I'm owed a refund. Can I demand it in bitcoin too?

This is, I suppose, a legal question so I should point out that I'm most interested in US and European law. I made a payment to a company for a product more than a year ago in bitcoin. The amount that I paid then was equivalent to $75. Now the…
CharlieB
  • 471
  • 1
  • 4
  • 6
30
votes
2 answers

What does the US government do with seized coins?

It was reported today that the US government shut down the web site Silk Road, where people bought and sold things (allegedly including illegal drugs) using Bitcoins. The operator was arrested, and BTC 26000 was seized. (Source: New York Times). A…
Nate Eldredge
  • 22,970
  • 3
  • 39
  • 80
25
votes
6 answers

What is the current legal status of Bitcoin around the world?

Has there been any concrete information about the legality of Bitcoin in any country? Since any information can be injected into the blockchain, then if child porn / copyrighted material is injected into the blockchain, does this make Bitcoin…
ripper234
  • 26,452
  • 30
  • 111
  • 246
23
votes
3 answers

Why was the MIT license chosen for Bitcoin?

Given that an open, transparent, distributed p2p network is a central element of Bitcoin project it seems unusual that it is licensed under the MIT license which allows proprietary closed source…
DeathAndTaxes
  • 8,747
  • 2
  • 36
  • 65
21
votes
4 answers

Is the NotHaus conviction (Liberty Dollar) relevant as legal precedent?

Bernard von NotHaus (the creator of the Liberty Dollar) was convicted of violating a U.S. federal law that forbids the minting of a currency by anyone in the U.S. besides the federal government. Might it be claimed that bitcoins are also a currency…
Michael Hardy
  • 1,213
  • 1
  • 10
  • 24
18
votes
7 answers

Do USA-based miners need to register with FinCEN?

As seen in recent news, FinCEN has issued a statement on its classification of virtual currencies: http://www.fincen.gov/statutes_regs/guidance/html/FIN-2013-G001.html Hypothetically suppose I mine BTC and sell it on MtGox for USD. Do I need to…
Streblo
  • 705
  • 7
  • 14
18
votes
6 answers

Is it true that Paypal banned Bitcoins, while Google Checkout did not (yet)?

Paypal claimed they were not allowed to sell Bitcoins, while currently it seems Google Checkout is a viable option. So ... what's the story on this? Is this true, and if so does anyone know why?
ripper234
  • 26,452
  • 30
  • 111
  • 246
18
votes
7 answers

How can government "seize" bitcoins?

Last year the U.S. Department of Justice posted this press release claiming U.S. "law enforcement seized several thousand Bitcoins on November 3, 2020." How is it possible for anyone to "seize" BTC? My understanding is that it is technically…
feetwet
  • 281
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
17
votes
4 answers

Is Bitcoin a currency?

This question seems to be asked every now and then when legal status of Bitcoin is discussed - Is Bitcoin a currency? What are the characteristics that would make it a currency, and what makes it different from the standard definition?
ThePiachu
  • 42,931
  • 25
  • 138
  • 347
17
votes
9 answers

Is there any way the Bitcoin network could resist a viral tainted-coin tagging system implemented by regulators?

Already it's possible for MtGox etc. to detect spends of coins that have certain well-known thefts in their history. If regulators forced audits on exchanges and key popular merchants, as well as keeping track of coins they deemed to have been…
Julian Noble
  • 817
  • 6
  • 13
16
votes
4 answers

What are the legal processes that someone would have to go through in order to get a Bitcoin exchange operational?

One of the main perceived difficulties in getting started with Bitcoin is obtaining some in the first place. Naturally, for an exchange to be accepted into the mainstream it needs to be a recognised and approved legal entity within the country it is…
Gary
  • 7,543
  • 3
  • 33
  • 59
16
votes
7 answers

Did I just get defrauded by Coinbase?

I bought 10 bitcoins, 4.5, and .4 on Oct 18/19 @ around $150-160. On Oct 24, within almost the hour that the coins were supposed to arrive, I receive the following email for all 3 transactions: On Oct 18, 2013 you purchased 10.00 BTC via bank…
Concerned
  • 169
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
15
votes
5 answers

Do you have to pay taxes on Bitcoin revenues?

Disclaimer: this is not legal advice, and this varies from country to country. If you accept bitcoins as payment, do you have to pay taxes on that? And would you have to write an invoice? Since they are not an official currency, such a trade would…
o0'.
  • 5,240
  • 6
  • 38
  • 66
14
votes
2 answers

Tax implications in Canada of buying and selling Bitcoins?

What taxes should be paid in Canada on Bitcoin transactions? Has anyone gotten official advice on this? Is it relevant whether the Bitcoins were mined, received as payment for services, bought and then sold for a profit, or freely donated? Is it…
Kiv
  • 242
  • 1
  • 8
12
votes
1 answer

Has any illegal data been saved in the Block Chain?

Has any illegal data been saved in the Block Chain, such as an illegal number, or illegal prime?
ThePiachu
  • 42,931
  • 25
  • 138
  • 347
1
2 3
…
13 14