Why the SEC Is Probing Yuga Labs and Coin Center Is Suing Treasury

Peter Van Valkenburgh, director of research at Coin Center, comes to talk about the SEC probe into Yuga Labs, how to determine whether something is a security, and Coin Center’s lawsuit against the US Treasury over the sanctions on Tornado Cash. 

Show highlights:

• whether there’s an over-reliance on the Howey Test and how a token being non-fungible doesn’t mean it’s not a security
• what constitutes an investment contract and how it works in the Metaverse
• the consequences for NFT holders and issuers if the NFTs are considered securities
• why Coin Center is suing the US Treasury over the Tornado Cash sanctions
• Who the plaintiffs are
• whether this lawsuit differs from the one Coinbase is supporting
• how to solve the issue of bad actors like North Korea using tools such as Tornado Cash to launder money
• the remedy Coin Center is looking for in the lawsuit against the Treasury 
• how long the lawsuit could take to be resolved

Thank you to our sponsors!

Peter

SEC probe into Yuga Labs

• Unchained article
• CrypTones thread on land sales

Coin Center lawsuit over Tornado Cash sanctions

• Coin Center lawsuit and statement
• Unchained article 
• Coinbase Backs Tornado Cash Lawsuit Against U.S. Treasury
• North Korean hacks
• Treasury Press release on the sanctions
• Previous coverage of the Tornado Cash sanctions on Unchained:

• • Is TRM Labs Blocking Addresses From DeFi Protocols? Ari Redbord Says No 
  • Tornado Cash Sanctioned. Did the Government Overstep Its Bounds?
  • The Chopping Block: Did OFAC Overstep by Sanctioning Tornado Cash?
  • Given the Sanctions on Tornado Cash, Is Ethereum Censorship Resistant?
  • Preston Van Loon on Ethereum’s Merge and His Lawsuit Against Treasury