Today we’re sharing the first community update for the Polkadot Legal Bounty. The goal of these updates is simple: keep the Polkadot community informed on how the bounty is being used to advance practical, open legal work for builders and contributors across the ecosystem.
In this post, we’ll briefly recap what’s been done so far, outline the workstreams currently in motion, and share what to expect next. You’ll also find ways to get involved, whether that’s proposing topics, pointing us to pain points you’re seeing in the wild, or contributing expertise.
Going forward, we’ll publish these updates on a quarterly basis to provide clear, consistent visibility into progress, decisions, and deliverables.
Finished and Current Bounty Activities
Administrative Work
We set up a Discord server exclusively for the Legal Bounty. This allows us to secure client-attorney privilege and keep the process operationally as effective as possible. Users accept the T&C, put in an onboarding request (which serves as a first filter), after onboarding accept a Mandate Agreement (to ensure privacy) and open a legal ticket. Further administrative work includes discussion among curators regarding setup/onboarding of projects or teams, and communication with those teams regarding past and ongoing legal requests.
Sample Case of a Crypto Foundation
The Legal Bounty was engaged by an ecosystem project to establish and implement the necessary legal framework as well as obtain the relevant approvals and rulings from the competent authorities. After assessing the available options, it was decided that a Swiss-based crypto foundation would be the optimal vehicle.
Our work included drafting incorporation and formation documents, as well as organisational guidelines. We also provided assistance with finding possible foundation council members, securing a domicile and an accountant, and liaising with the relevant authorities, notary public and the Foundation Supervision Authority. We have taken, and continue to take where ongoing, all the necessary steps and measures to secure the recognition and establishment of the structure as a non-profit crypto foundation, including ongoing coordination with the competent authorities.
We are also preparing comprehensive organisational guidelines for crypto foundations and drafting an informal supervisory request (“no-action” letter) to the financial market supervisory authority in connection with this request. In parallel, we are preparing an advanced tax ruling to seek confirmation that the foundation is classified as a non-profit crypto foundation, and the conditions for tax exemption. We are also assembling the application package for opening a bank account and coordinating the foundation’s onboarding with selected institutions. A preliminary draft of the tax ruling regarding token valuation was prepared. However, in this case it was not suitable and therefore this part was not further processed.
The resulting work product is designed to be reusable for comparable future matters. Subject to confidentiality constraints, we will make the relevant templates and distilled guidance available to other teams and projects in the Polkadot ecosystem, either as contract templates or via the wiki.
Polkadot Community Foundation
There is currently further need in the community for clarification regarding the PCF, specifically if (and if yes, how) Cayman law allows for the community to have better oversight powers and what ways there are to protect community-elected representatives from excessive personal liability. We provided an initial, 14-page document that outlines some of the key legal facts, including both analysis and recommendations for a possible implementation roadmap. We are currently trying to reconcile our opinion with Autonomous, the law firm managing the PCF, and define concrete next steps that would most benefit Polkadot for a fair price.
Templates and Legal Wiki
We have set up a wiki for templates that is restricted for onboarded ecosystem members via Discord, meaning that only members of the Polkadot community can access the documents. Available templates are:
- Two NDAs, a one-way version and a mutual one
- SAFT
- General Employment Contract Template
- General Freelancer Agreement Template
The latter two need country-specific modifications and serve as the base template for various jurisdictions.
Work on the Legal Wiki is progressing steadily, with the first entry expected to be published within the next four weeks. This initial contribution will serve as a practical guide, outlining the key steps involved in choosing the right jurisdiction and establishing the appropriate corporate structure for new projects.
Beyond the initial focus, the Legal Wiki is designed to become a broader knowledge base addressing recurring legal and strategic questions - not only for startups, but also for established companies. Future sections will cover topics such as the selection of a tax domicile, regulatory and licensing requirements, and intellectual property considerations.
Our aim is to build a clear, reliable, and evolving resource that helps organizations navigate complex legal frameworks and make informed decisions at every stage of their development.
We would like to encourage and are grateful for suggestions and topic requests from the community, as they help ensure that the Wiki reflects real needs and relevant issues faced by our users. Contributions and feedback are warmly welcomed, so that the content can continue to grow in a way that is practical, impactful and community driven.
In addition, there is always the possibility to discuss open questions individually and confidentially with us. Such communications are protected under attorney-client privilege, ensuring that specific or sensitive matters can be addressed and handled with the necessary discretion, care and professional confidentiality.
IP Strategy Pack
The Legal Bounty offers a comprehensive Intellectual Property Advisory Package designed to help startups and established projects protect and enhance their intangible assets within the Polkadot ecosystem. While often neglected in the early stages of a company given the associated costs, not having a proper IP strategy comes back to bite later and is much harder to fix then.
Our approach combines legal precision with commercial insight, ensuring that IP protection aligns with each project’s business goals, supports sustainable growth, and preserves long-term value across the network.
We begin by aligning IP priorities with a project’s strategic roadmap, focusing on upcoming product launches, key markets, and investment milestones. For startups, we help establish a clean and scalable IP foundation. For mature teams, we review and consolidate existing portfolios. Our initial assessment includes availability, and clearance checks for company and product names, trademarks, domains, and designs across relevant jurisdictions - resulting in a tailored filing and protection plan.
Once individual needs, relevant risks and opportunities have been identified, we assist with the entire registration process for national, EU, and international protection.
To support commercialisation, the Legal Bounty helps teams and projects refine brand, content, and technology licence agreements, collaboration terms, and co-branding frameworks.
Rather than conducting trademark monitoring through the Legal Bounty, we help teams and projects identify and engage trusted IT service providers offering continuous monitoring and alert systems. These tools send regular notifications of potential matches or infringements, enabling teams to maintain oversight and respond proactively.
Deliverables include an IP strategy memorandum, a clearance and filing report, a registration roadmap, and standard key contractual templates. This service is available in defined phases offering a transparent, high-quality IP framework that strengthens brand and technology protection across the Polkadot ecosystem, reduces legal risk, and positions intellectual property as a strategic asset supported by the Treasury for the benefit of the wider community.
Total Hours Worked
Currently, we are at 91 billable hours invested plus some flat rate spends related to the setup (e.g. monthly Discord server charges), coming out to a total of ca. CHF 26k (ca. USD $33k) or 10’904 DOT, plus 2’548 DOT vested over 6 months (total 13’452 DOT). This excludes curator work. Thus, despite the significant decline of the DOT 7d EMA since the original proposal, the Legal Bounty is expected to remain funded and operational at least through H1 2026 without any additional top-ups.
What’s Next for the Legal Bounty?
Besides these ecosystem projects, the Legal Bounty continues to be ready for future projects and support their founders and builders. Additionally, we expect further legal or regulatory questions with ecosystem-wide relevance, such as those regarding OpenGov. We also plan to expand the template library and legal wiki.
Core Corporate Formation
In this section, the goal in the medium term is to provide a “Quick Starter Pack” including documents for incorporation of various corporate structures (Ltd., LLC, Association, Foundation etc.) in various countries, and supplementary contract templates such as a Shareholder’s Agreement, a Founders’ Agreement, a Consulting/Independent Contractor Agreement, or an IP Assignment Agreement. To this, we will also provide jurisdiction-specific addons, for example for the US (SAFE, W-8/W-9, Reg S / Reg D) or the EU (MiCA, CASP terms, GDPR).
Polkadot-Specifics
We plan to supply templates such as:
- Bounty Curator Agreement (KPIs, curator fees, termination)
- OpenGov Delegate Agreement (scope across Tracks; reporting and conflict rules)
- Treasury Grant Acceptance Agreement (on-chain payout, milestone proofs, clawback)
The goal here is to provide better legal certainty to community participants and protect from excessive personal liabilities wherever possible.
Product, Platform, and User-Facing Apps
There is a plethora of legal work that comes with every product launch – much of which, luckily, can be standardized rather easily and then only requires small adjustments for each specific case. In this category, we are planning to provide general templates for Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy/Consent Banner, among others.
Final Words
We’re interested to hear all feedback – not only on the Bounty itself, but also regarding the structure of this report so that we can implement it in future editions.
Last but not least, if you have a legal question that might be eligible under the rules of the Legal Bounty, please feel free to get started by joining the Discord here: Polkadot Legal Bounty .