Category Archives: Cryptocurrency

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Is there a Unicorn Among ICO Issuers?

Photo of James GattoBy James Gatto on Posted in Blockchain Games, Cryptocurrency, Initial Coin Offerings
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has indicated that nearly all initial coin offering (“ICO”) filings they have seen are securities offerings. Based on this expansive view, it may be more likely to find a Unicorn than an ICO that is not a securities offering. Ironically, a recent lawsuit was filed against Unikrn, … Continue Reading

SEC Blockchain and Crypto Update

Photo of James GattoBy James Gatto on Posted in Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, SEC
The SEC has been busy over the past couple of weeks addressing blockchain and crypto-related issues. ETF Activity The SEC rejected, for a second time, a request by the Winklevoss brothers for a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The primary reason given by the SEC was that the submission did not sufficiently explain how the ETF would … Continue Reading

Apple Updates Cryptocurrency Aspects of App Store Review Guidelines

Photo of James GattoBy James Gatto on Posted in Cryptocurrency, Initial Coin Offerings
Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines have been updated to address various aspects of cryptocurrency. Some of the relevant provisions include the following. One of the provisions relates to prevents an app from including ads that run background processes such as crypto mining. This is a tactic that has arisen, unbeknownst to many users. The relevant … Continue Reading

New York’s AG Enters the Cryptocurrency Ring as Federal, State Authorities Find Regulatory Footing

Photo of Jeff KernPhoto of Christopher BoschBy Jeff Kern and Christopher Bosch on Posted in Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Regulatory
On April 17, 2018, the New York State Attorney General (“NYAG”) sent a “Virtual Markets Integrity Initiative Questionnaire” to 13 companies operating virtual currency trading platforms. The questionnaire consists of 34 questions covering a number of topics, including ownership and control, operation and fees, trading policies and procedures, outages and other suspensions of trading, internal … Continue Reading

Tokenalysis

Photo of Richard A. FriedmanBy Richard A. Friedman on Posted in Cryptocurrency
Read the full article here, authored by Richard A. Friedman. An excerpt: “I. A few general things to consider – tokenality: Is the token being acquired by investors seeking a return on investment (ROI)? Is the token being acquired by investors in order to become a member and/or be admitted to a group (i.e., includes … Continue Reading

Crypto-Crime: The SEC and DOJ Go After BitFunder and Its BitFounder

Photo of Jonathan E. MeyerBy Jonathan E. Meyer on Posted in Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, SEC
Taking further steps into the world of cryptocurrency, two entities of the federal government recently took legal action against BitFunder, a now-defunct Bitcoin exchange, and its founder, Jon Montroll. The Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil charges against BitFunder and Montroll, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan brought criminal charges of perjury and obstruction … Continue Reading

Patent Strategies for Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain Technology

Photo of James GattoBy James Gatto on Posted in Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Patents
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology are rapidly emerging as disruptive technologies. As has happened with many new technologies, particularly disruptive ones, a patent arms race is occurring. The number of patents being filed for these technologies is rapidly increasing. The number of published applications shows roughly a tenfold increase over the number of issued patents. Despite … Continue Reading
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