Professor Alex Sims

Professor Alex Sims is a leading voice in the intersection of law and emerging technology. She is a Professor in the Department of Commercial Law at the University of Auckland and a Research Associate at the UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies. Alex teaches law subjects such as Innovation and the Law and Technologies and Compliance, and is internationally recognised for her work on blockchain technology, particularly decentralised autonomous organisations (DAOs), non-fungible tokens (NFTs), cryptocurrency regulation, legal issues surrounding smart contracts, and the right to repair.

Her earlier research made a significant impact in consumer law and intellectual property law, with a particular focus on copyright. Alex’s work bridges academic research, law reform, and practical governance, making her a sought-after advisor for governments, industry groups, and international organisations on technology law and policy.

At ALTeR, Alex brings her expertise in blockchain governance, digital assets, and emerging tech regulation to shape legal frameworks that foster innovation while safeguarding fairness, transparency, and accountability.

Selected publications

• Blockchain-Enabled Corporate Governance and Regulation (2020), International Journal of Financial Studies8(2):38

• Blockchain and Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs): The Evolution of Companies? (2019), New Zealand Universities Law Review 28:423-458

• Regulating Cryptocurrencies in New Zealand (2018), ISBN: 978-0-473-45925-3

• Blockchain technology and intellectual property (2017), New Zealand Intellectual Property Journal 8(5):77-78

• DAOs and DACs as Emergent Business Structures (2018), Technological Innovation in Corporate Financing: Regulatory Challenges for the Fintech Era

• A shift in the centre of gravity: The dangers of protecting privacy through breach of confidence (2005), Intellectual Property Quarterly 2005(1):27-51

• Shop wars: Copyright, moral rights, and comparative advertising (2004), New Zealand Business Law Quarterly 10(1):9-16

• Court assisted means of revealing identity on the internet (2003), Digital anonymity and the law: Tensions and dimensions 2:271-285UNICEF public consultation on draft policy guidance on AI for children (2022)

• Blockchain: A new building block for the built environment? (2020), Proceedings of the International Conference of Architectural Science Association 2020 November: 211-219

• Genisys or Skynet? An Empirical and Theoretical View of Blockchain Enabled Corporate Governance and Accounting (2019), SSRN Electronic Journal, Elsevier