Category Archives: Regulatory

Considering Blockchain In The Electricity Industry

By James Gatto, Mark Sundback, Kenneth Wiseman, Andrew Mina, Mark Patrick and William Rappolt on November 9, 2018 Posted in Blockchain, Regulatory

A version of this article originally appeared on Law360 on November 7, 2018. Blockchain technology and smart contracts have the potential to become major disrupters in the energy industry. For example, these technologies may accelerate the automation of some or all aspects of the electricity delivery transaction chain and allow for more decentralized, efficient electricity … Continue Reading

Crypto Firms Make Inroads with State and Federal Regulators

By Jeff Kern and Christopher Bosch on November 7, 2018 Posted in Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Regulatory

Over the past couple of years, the crypto industry has come under heavy scrutiny from skeptical regulators seeking to root out fraud and protect investors amid the initial coin offering boom that generated over $4 billion in 2017. However, this skepticism is starting to give way to a more business-friendly attitude. Crypto firms have made … Continue Reading

Recent Development in Regulatory Enforcement of Digital Securities

By Richard A. Friedman on September 12, 2018 Posted in Regulatory, SEC

In a flurry of activity and confluence of developments, the SEC, FINRA and a Brooklyn federal judge have commenced actions and made rulings that continue to define the regulatory framework and obligations surrounding the sale and trading of digital securities, whether they are labeled as cryptocurrencies or tokens.… Continue Reading

Airdrop of Crypto Tokens Hits Regulatory Flak

By Robert Wernli, Jr., Robert Weber and Osama Khan on August 28, 2018 Posted in Cryptocurrency, Initial Coin Offerings, Regulatory, SEC

On August 14, 2018, the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued a cease and desist order (the “Tomahawk Order”) against Tomahawk Exploration LLC (“Tomahawk”) and David Thompson Laurance (“Laurance”) for their actions in connection with an initial coin offering of digital assets called “Tomahawkcoins” or “TOM” (the “Tomahawk ICO”). Tomahawk and Laurance’s actions were … Continue Reading

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

By Jeff Kern and Christopher Bosch on May 1, 2018 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