Solana Policy Research Institute Calls for Protecting Software Developers, Saying "Roman Storm Case Is Not an Isolated Incident"

PANews January 21 News, according to The Block, the Solana Policy Research Institute has publicly called for increased legal protections for software developers following the Roman Storm case. The organization warns that the guilty verdict against Tornado Cash developer Storm is not an isolated incident but a test of whether the United States will continue to support open-source innovation. Storm was convicted last August of illegal money transmission, but the jury did not reach a consensus on charges related to money laundering and sanctions.

Meanwhile, progress has been made at the legislative level. The latest bill text from the Senate Banking Committee now includes protections for software developers, with the “Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act” incorporated. The bill will clarify that non-custodial software developers who do not control user funds should not be considered money transmission providers, thus providing them with a clear legal safe harbor exemption. The institute’s head described this as a major highlight and victory of the bill.