COPA, The Cryptocurrency Open Patent Alliance, operates on the principle that open access to patents covering foundational cryptocurrency technologies is necessary for the community to grow, freely innovate, and build new and better products. It is a non-profit community of like-minded people and companies formed to encourage the adoption and advancement of cryptocurrency technologies and to remove patents as a barrier to growth and innovation. COPA acknowledges that cryptocurrency technology is built on the collaborative efforts of a community made up of developers, engineers, and designers. The success of cryptocurrency is a direct result of the community coming together to build and develop upon existing technologies for the benefit of all, and we believe COPA will help this happen. Crypto organizations have filed for hundreds of patents on cryptocurrency technology and continue to do so in large numbers, causing some concerns: 1/ Locking up foundational cryptocurrency technologies in patents stifles innovation and the adoption of these technologies in new and improved applications. 2/ While patents are useful defensively and can serve as a lawsuit deterrent, misguided and offensive use of patents by bad actors threatens the growth and free availability of cryptocurrency technologies. Many crypto companies do not own patents and are unable to adequately deter or defend against these bad actors.