la liberté avant tout
In the corridors of power in board rooms, lecture halls, and legislative chambers, Bitcoin is no longer an enigma resigned to just technology or economics enthusiasts. After a decade of gradual adoption, Bitcoin is an innovation invoked in political debates, presidential speeches, quarterly earnings reports, and is now the most recognized “crypto” by anyone with…
It’s perplexing that Australian policymakers would roll out the red carpet for those who oppose the resources sector — the very industry that drives and powers national prosperity. Why kneecap your own champions that fund your successful industry? The single most egregious example of this economic self-harm is so-called “lawfare”; the gaming of the legal…
Democratic candidates are crisscrossing the country to garner support before November’s elections. Joining campaign events alongside the likes of Senator Bernie Sanders, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi will be an unlikely star and supposedly independent federal employee, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan. Khan is due to travel to Austin, Chicago, and Arizona…
The Consumer Choice Center (CCC) was founded with a vision to lead consumer rights and promote freedom of choice in an increasingly regulated world. The spark that ignited this movement occurred when co-founder Fred Roeder, living in Berlin, witnessed a powerful clash between innovation and established industry players. As rideshare apps like Uber began to…
One of the most followed corporate trials of the decade is drawing nearer to a close. Johnson & Johnson’s Red River Talc subsidiary in Texas filed a third time for bankruptcy in the Southern District of Texas while a majority of affected plaintiffs have indicated they wish to settle. With more than 75 percent of plaintiffs on board, this…
We are no strangers to settling our problems in court. Indeed, it is a core function of citizens in free societies. Staffed by esteemed judges and sometimes juries, people who believe they’ve been wronged can take their claims before a neutral tribunal to plead their case in hopes of a positive outcome and settlement, whether…
This week, the Consumer Choice Center submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission on its proposal to reconfigure parts of the 900 MHz band, opposing the effort that would end up granting exclusive use for one specific company. The lower end of the 900 MHz band is popular with open-source radio projects, amateur radio operations,…
The commodification of lawsuit funding is a somewhat ingenious concept that may indeed help smaller companies win their day in court, but it also opens the door to even more bad faith participation in the justice system. That’s why this industry needs a second look, and needs some guardrails to ensure consumers don’t end up…
Artificial intelligence may be all the rage in the business world, but to the feds, AI-enabled algorithms are being cast as the main villain behind skyrocketing housing costs in this country. Last month, the Department of Justice joined the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington to sue RealPage, blaming…
In every gas station and convenience store, a new category of addictive products is flying off shelves. This new thorn in the side of public health advocates is tobacco nicotine pouches. These pouches are made of wood pulp and salt, filled with nicotine, and flavors placed under the upper lip to give the user a…
As the 2024 election grinds on, you’ll hear a lot more about the online betting markets which have become all the rage amongst politicos and statisticians. These days, you can bet on election outcomes and even the weather. But should you be able to gamble on courtroom verdicts? That is essentially what’s happening within a new trend of litigation finance…
This week I was invited on The Progressive Bitcoiner podcast to discuss the latest proposals for a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve with Pierre Rochard of Riot and the podcast host Trey Walsh. I had a great time, and hope you listen and provide your reactions. In this episode we explore the debate around a potential US…
Yesterday, hours before American entrepreneur Elon Musk sat down with former President Donald Trump on a live “X space,” EU Commissioner Thierry Breton fired off a snarky letter to “remind” Musk of his obligations to the European Union’s Digital Services Act. As of publication, this X post has garnered over 67 million views, 15,000 retweets,…
In a protracted eight-year-long legal battle, lawsuits against pharmaceutical and beauty giant Johnson & Johnson seem to be finally coming to a resolution. These cases have been some of the largest and most expensive in recent history and are providing memorable lessons for companies, consumers, and legal firms as to how massive claims can be best adjudicated…
Supreme Coourt’s Administrative State Ruling a Setback for SEC, FTC A slew of recent opinions issued from the bench of the United States Supreme Court have given American consumers a handful of underreported victories. Now unshackled from “Chevron deference” thanks to the majority opinion in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, courts will return to evaluating cases based on direct…
A recent hack of Evolve Bank and Trust shows the unintended consequence of excessive Know Your Customer and anti-money-laundering laws. One of the most consequential bank hacks of the last few years was just revealed to the public. In a post uploaded to its website two weeks ago, the Arkansas-based Evolve Bank and Trust informed its customers…
The Role Of Education In Shaping Bitcoin Policy The world of Bitcoin is not just about digital currency; it’s also about policy and advocacy. In this Bitcoin Equities Talks episode, Yael Ossowski, Deputy Director at Consumer Choice Center discusses how the Bitcoin Policy Institute is at the forefront of educating lawmakers and the public about…
Today, the European Commission released its initial findings in the investigation into X, formerly known as Twitter, and whether it has violated the Digital Services Act since begin designated a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) on April 25, 2023. That designation came just six months after the platform was purchased and taken private by tech mogul Elon Musk, after X…
To much fanfare, European Union legislators and commissioners last year negotiated the final framework of the bloc’s cryptocurrency regulation, known as the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). On June 30 of this year, Titles III and IV came into force, stipulating the requirements for issuers of “asset-referenced tokens” (commodity basket tokens) and “e-money tokens” (stablecoins). The rest…
Everything feels more expensive right now, and that’s because it is. Despite a notable decline from its peak of 9.1 percent in June 2022, inflation remains higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2 percent target. Since January 2021, prices have surged by an astonishing 17.6 percent. Grocery prices today are 21 percent higher than in January 2021, and while gas prices…