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Making Sense of the SEC's Case Against Telegram
Telegram lost another round in court against the SEC and now can’t launch its $1.7 billion token sale. What does it mean for the crypto industry and other startups that sold tokens?
Telegram lost another round in court against the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and now can’t issue the tokens sold during its $1.7 billion fundraising campaign. What does it mean for the crypto industry and other startups that sold tokens?
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
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Telegram, the popular messaging app, has big plans for its blockchain Telegram Open Network, or TON. It also had one of the biggest token sales in history, followed by a huge legal fight over it.
The SEC sued the company to halt the TON network, saying its native gram tokens were unregistered securities. Telegram argued grams were a commodity. A federal judge in New York issued a preliminary injunction agreeing with the SEC, blocking Telegram from issuing tokens.
The court battle has been an interesting one, as is the ruling of the judge.
Together with two experienced attorneys, Gabriel Shapiro of BSV Law and Phillip Moustakis of Seward & Kissel, we’re unpacking this process, which is likely to set a precedent for other token sales structured as SAFTs, or simple agreements for future tokens – starting with Kik and potentially followed by many more.
- SAFTs used to be a popular form of fundraising in crypto. What went wrong for Telegram?
- Is there still a chance an ambitious proof-of-stake blockchainhttps://test.ton.org/ will still get launched?
- Is there a safe way to raise money via a token sale or not?
- What are the remaining options for Telegram – and for its investors?
See also:
Judge Halts Telegram Token Issuance in Injunction Requested by SEC
Telegram Hopes It Can Still Sell Tokens to Non-US Investors After Court Ruling
Blockchain Association Says Court ‘Erred’ With Decision to Block Telegram’s Token Issuance
Digital Chamber Asks Court to Draw Line Between Investment Contracts and Assets in Telegram Case
Andreessen Horowitz: “Reading Between the Lines: SEC, Telegram, and Rule 144”
SEC Settles Securities Registration Charges Against 2 ICO Startups
Anna Baydakova
Anna writes about blockchain projects and regulation with a special focus on Eastern Europe and Russia. She is especially excited about stories on privacy, cybercrime, sanctions policies and censorship resistance of decentralized technologies. She graduated from the Saint Petersburg State University and the Higher School of Economics in Russia and got her Master's degree at Columbia Journalism School in New York City. She joined CoinDesk after years of writing for various Russian media, including the leading political outlet Novaya Gazeta. Anna owns BTC and an NFT of sentimental value.
