One of the founders of the Bored Ape Yacht Club copycat NFT collection RR/BAYC has filed an opposition notice against 10 trademark applications from Yuga Labs. The move marks another strange twist in the ongoing intellectual property dispute between BAYC creators Yuga Labs and RR/BAYC founders Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen. Cahen filed the opposition notice to the US Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) Trademark Trial and Appeal Board on Feb. 9. The opposition status on all of the trademark filings currently read “pending” at the time of writing. Yuga Labs’ trademark applications were mostly submitted in the latter half …

Reactions were predictable depending on where you stand on crypto in general. Crypto advocates railed against regulators who are slowly asphyxiating this burgeoning industry, while skeptics celebrated crypto’s impending demise. The advocates have it right. Antagonistic regulators will force crypto into friendlier jurisdictions, which will reap the economic benefits. The skeptics have it right, too. This event, and much of those from last year, is killing crypto. Their apparent glee is misplaced, though. This is a good thing. Emboldened by the slew of blow-ups of crypto businesses in 2022, the SEC and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission have begun to …

The DAO that governs privacy-focused blockchain Secret Network (SCRT) has voted to restructure its Secret Foundation as a non-profit with a “transparent operation,” according to the proposal’s official page. Congrats to the #SecretNetwork community! The Secret Foundation has been restructured as an NPO, with a community-elected board & amendments requested by the founder. #blockchain #cryptocurrency — Krypton AI (@KryptonAi) February 10, 2023 The proposal stated that the new foundation “will be registered as an NPO [non-profit organization] and provide an annual account of its activities, including key performance indicators (KPIs), budgets, and goals.” The foundation will be run by a …

The Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) recently provided the much-awaited guidelines for virtual asset service providers (VASPs) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which included a ban on privacy coins. On Feb. 7, VARA released several rulebooks for VASPs including the "Virtual Assets and Related Activities Regulations 2023" in which VARA mentioned a prohibition on privacy coins. In the document, VARA wrote: “The issuance of Anonymity-Enhanced Cryptocurrencies and all VA Activity[ies] related to them are prohibited in the Emirate.” Cointelegraph reached out to several players within Dubai and a privacy protocol project to find out how market participants feel about the …

Local Russian media outlets reported on Monday that Bitzlato co-founder Anton Shkurenko was detained in Moscow on Feb. 6 at the request of Interpol. However, according to a Feb. 10 report from CoinDesk, Shkurenko was stopped and detained by the local police for an ID check, then promptly let go after a conversation. Shkurenko said he is not involved in any criminal cases in Russia. He reportedly commented, while not disclosing details of the investigation: “I hope I convinced the prosecutor of my innocence.” He did not specify the sector of law enforcement that detained him, though he mentioned he …

A crypto exchange project initially proposed by 3AC and Coinflex has now launched an official website and waitlist as of Feb. 9. Called “Open Exchange (OPNX)”, the new project alleges that it will be “the world's first public marketplace for crypto claims trading and derivatives,” according to a tweet from the project’s official Twitter account. 1/ Introducing Open Exchange. Open Exchange will start as the world's first public marketplace for crypto claims trading and derivatives. Then become the world's most radically transparent CEX. The claims waitlist is now open @ https://t.co/Q2HsUqSZ7E — OPNX Official (@OPNX_Official) February 9, 2023 In a …

The unsecured committee of creditors and others involved in crypto lending firm Celsius’ bankruptcy case have objected to a motion from the debtors delaying a reorganization plan. In separate Feb. 8 court filings, the committee and Withhold account holders as well as the United States Trustee and Celsius borrowers objected to a motion aimed at extending the exclusivity period for a Chapter 11 restructuring plan from Feb. 15 to March 31. Under the proposed extension, Celsius’ debtors would also have the option of soliciting a plan until June 30. The unsecured committee of creditors said the bankruptcy case “must proceed …

A federal judge has reportedly denied oral arguments proposing former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried be allowed to use certain messaging apps. According to a Feb. 9 Reuters report, Judge Lewis Kaplan of United States District Court for the Southern District of New York upheld his ruling that Bankman-Fried be restricted from using encrypted messaging apps as a condition of his release on a $250-million bond. The judge ordered SBF not to communicate using apps like Signal on Feb. 1, but the former CEO’s legal team and prosecutors had negotiated a deal allowing for exceptions including Facebook Messenger, Zoom, and Facetime. …

New Hampshire is on the verge of becoming a national leader in cryptocurrency if its legislature follows through on recommendations made by a commission appointed by Governor Chris Sununu. The recommendations would establish a legal framework for blockchain and crypto businesses in the state, providing clarity and certainty to entrepreneurs and regulators while avoiding the onerous and largely pointless special rules federal regulators and members of Congress want to impose on the industry. The proposed rules would also protect consumers, depositors and investors. Blockchain businesses presently exist in something of a legal gray area in the United States. Congress has …

The crypto community celebrated a victory in court on Jan. 30 when the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) admitted in the remedies hearing of the LBRY case that secondary sales of its LBC coin were not securities sales. John Deaton, who represents Ripple in court in the SEC’s case against it, was so excited that he created a video for his Twitter-hosted CryptoLawTV channel that evening. Deaton, a friend of the court, or amicus curiae, in the case, recounted a conversation he had with the judge that day. “Look, let’s not pretend. Secondary market sales are a problem,” …

Proposed laws in Israel that would see cryptocurrencies classified as securities would cause huge damage to the local crypto industry, according to the chief of an Israeli crypto service provider. Cointelegraph Magazine editor, Andrew Fenton, spoke with Ilan Sterk, the CEO of Altshuler Shaham Horizon in Tel Aviv, Israel. The firm provides cryptocurrency custody and trading services and is one of the few firms in the country having the approval to deal with banks. “It's quite complicated,” Sterk said of the current legal situation for crypto in Israel. He explained the current proposal is to have digital assets under the …

The holding company of troubled crypto lender Genesis Global Capital, Genesis Global Holdco LLC, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in New York on Jan. 19. Genesis is the latest crypto platform to file for bankruptcy, joining Celsius, Voyager, BlockFi and FTX. The application of Chapter 11 provisions to the crypto industry raises a series of new issues for courts. Here’s a preview of what creditors can expect, and what casual observers can learn about the implications of a Chapter 11 process for an entity in the crypto industry. The Chapter 11 process is going to threaten “crypto anonymity” Preserving …