The United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) has requested a deposition from a representative of Kik Interactive Inc. to provide detailed information about its operations since releasing native token Kin. Kik Interactive, the Canadian company behind the Kik messenger application, has been dragged into a long-standing legal battle with the U.S. regulator. The SEC claims that the company violated securities laws when it carried out Kik’s token distribution in 2017. On Jan. 23, a Manhattan federal judge ordered that Kik Interactive share with the SEC information detailing how its business has changed since 2018. As such, the regulator called Kik’s …

Greece’s Council of State ruled for the extradition to France of former operator of now-shuttered crypto exchange BTC-e and Russian national Alexander Vinnik. English-language local news outlet Greek Reporter reported on the court’s decision on Jan. 23. Yesterday, Russian news agency TASS reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov protested: “The decision to extradite him to France is inadmissible as long as no explanations have been provided why he is not extradited to Russia. His family has been broken up, his right to life and health violated. Greece is obliged to hold prisoners in conditions that do not allow torture …

Blockvest, which is currently embroiled in a dangerous lawsuit with the SEC, obtained a small victory in a similar case filed by an elderly couple. However, the Jan. 21 court filing suggests that this is based on a legal technicality. The case against Blockvest was filed by Tommy and Christine Garrison, who alleged that the project violated securities law and regulations, and engaged in unlawful business conduct and financial elder abuse. The couple had filed the case against Rosegold Investments and Master Investment Group, the companies behind the project. They also cited Reginald Buddy Ringgold, III, aka Rasool Abdul Rahim …

In the latest from U.S. Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) ongoing lawsuit against Telegram for its offering of Gram tokens, the commission bashes the messaging service’s blockchain and related token. In a lengthy filing with the court of the Southern District of New York the SEC responded to Telegram’s earlier motion for summary judgment. In it, the SEC disparaged the Telegram Open Network (TON) — Telegram’s blockchain — as well as the operation’s Gram (GRM) token. “Telegram Has Put Forth No Evidence Regarding the TON Blockchain’s State of Development at Launch,” the Jan. 21, 2020 document reads, adding, “Telegram Marketed …

The Blockchain Association has filed an amicus curiae brief in response to litigation against Telegram initiated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Blockchain Association, a collective of advocates involved with the blockchain industry, filed an amicus curiae brief with the court of the Southern District of New York on Jan. 21. An amicus curiae is an entity that does not participate in specific litigation, but has a right to advise the court regarding some matter of law directly concerning the lawsuit. Need for more clarity from the SEC In the letter, the association disputes the charges …

The Chamber of Digital Commerce has filed an amicus brief in the ongoing court case between encrypted messenger service Telegram and the United States Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). Filed on Jan. 21, the document was authored by Lilya Tessler, a partner and the New York head of Sidley Austin LLP, counsel to the Chamber. In the amicus brief — a legal document that allows a non-litigant to submit its expertise or opinion in a case — the Chamber makes a number of arguments regarding how the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York should consider digital assets. …

Currently facing multiple lawsuits, cryptocurrency stablecoin issuer Tether (USDT) received a request from prosecutors asking for consolidation, combining three lawsuits into one, which Tether has not denied. “We did not oppose the plaintiffs’ requests to combine these frivolous claims, originally filed, respectively, in October in New York, in November in Washington and in January in New York,” reads a Tether statement shared with Cointelegraph via email on Jan. 17, 2020. Multiple lawsuits Various parties have suspected Tether, alongside related exchange Bitfinex, of foul play numerous times over their years in existence. One of the most recent ordeals on the subject …

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov gave a deposition regarding the company’s alleged violation of United States securities law by conducting $1.7 billion Gram token sale in 2018. In line with a relevant court order, the deposition was held on Jan. 7 and Jan. 8 before a court reporter designated by the court reporting service engaged by plaintiff represented by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). SEC uses the 18-hour deposition to continue grill Telegram on how it spent $1.7 billion According to the official transcript document, the deposition was held in Dubai and involved Telegram lawyer Alexander Drylewski and …

The Supreme Court of India has wrapped up the first three days in a hearing on a landmark case brought against the country’s central bank against its ban on banks’ dealings with cryptocurrency-related businesses. From Jan. 14 through 16, proceedings were focused on arguments presented by Ashim Sood, the legal counsel for the the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). IAMAI is a not-for-profit industry body whose mandate is to appeal to governments on behalf of internet industry consumers, shareholders and investors. Members include Yahoo! India, Apple, eBay, Unocoin and Etsy. On the heels of both public and industry-led …

Lawmakers in the New Hampshire state legislature have killed a bill that would have allowed state agencies to accept cryptocurrencies as payment for taxes. On Jan. 8, the New Hampshire House of Representatives announced a decision to retract the bill, following a motion from the General Court’s Executive Departments and Administration Committee to deem the initiative as “inexpedient to legislate.” Bitcoin’s volatility was too high for state budgets According to public records, authorities considered the bill ineffective due to the high volatility of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC). If the bill was adopted, expenditures of the Department of Revenue Administration (DRA) …

Major South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb has decided to litigate a near $69 million (80 billion won) tax bill levied by the National Tax Service (NTS). According to a report published by The Korea Times on Jan. 16, Bithumb filed a complaint with the NTS, suggesting that the imposed tax bill is groundless given that cryptocurrency is not a legally recognized currency. The South Korean tax tribunal now has to decide whether to grant or dismiss the exchange’s motion within 90 days. NTS imposed a retention tax — an income tax paid to the government by the payer of the …

Suspected crypto con artists are once again using the likeness of British financial expert Martin Lewis to defraud unsuspecting victims. In 2019, Lewis settled a defamation suit against Facebook for similar Bitcoin (BTC) scam adverts. Instagram says deceptive advertisements have no place on its platform and plans to continue improving its detection protocols for such content. Social platforms have been known to censor crypto-related content, instituting blanket bans on crypto ads on several occasions. However, Facebook has recently relaxed this policy amid the roll-out of its own digital currency project. The social media giant is one of the main backers …