美国法院驳回Coinbase大部分动议,未来走向如何?

Odaily星球日报Published on 2024-03-28Last updated on 2024-03-28

Abstract

目前案件进入审理阶段,最终的判决结果仍无法确定。

原文编辑:猫弟 吴说区块链

3 月 27 日,美国纽约南区地方法院法官 Katherine Polk Failla 驳回了大部分 Coinbase 的动议,认为 Coinbase 作为未注册的交易所、经纪人和清算机构与联邦证券法下的机构,并通过其质押计划从事未经注册的证券发行和销售。不过法院驳回了 SEC 对 Coinbase 通过向客户提供其钱包应用程序而充当未注册经纪人的指控。

判决原文:https://d1x7dwosqaosdj.cloudfront.net/images/2024-03-28/a344f2dc975c3406e6c3ec7eea2ad6bb

参考资料:https://d1x7dwosqaosdj.cloudfront.net/images/2024-03-28/b9918f4e910029b23bf52e1b2b34021f

案件背景

2023 年 6 月 6 日,SEC 起诉了 Coinbase,指控其向公众提供交易和质押服务,违反了联邦证券法。它还认为 Coinbase Wallet 充当了未注册的经纪公司。要求 Coinbase 退还非法获利并支付相应的预判利息,对 Coinbase 处以民事罚款,授予可能适当或必要以保护投资者利益的任何衡平救济措施。

2023 年 6 月 29 日,Coinbase 在提交的答复中回应 SEC 对其展开的诉讼,Coinbase 表示 SEC 所列的加密货币不是投资合约,因此不是证券,不属于其管辖范围。Coinbase 还表示,当 SEC 提起诉讼时,其正当程序权利受到了侵犯,并且 SEC 的诉讼可能违反了“重大问题”原则。

2023 年 8 月 4 日,Coinbase 提交文件以正式驳回 SEC 诉讼,其指控监管机构远远超出了其管辖范围。Coinbase 在文件中反驳称,SEC 并未声称这些例子涉及投资合同。Coinbase 平台和 Prime 上的交易不是也不涉及提供反映企业收入、利润或资产的未来价值的合同承诺。它们是商品销售,一旦交付加密代币以换取付款,双方的义务就完全解除。

2023 年 10 月 25 日,Coinbase 提交案件答复简报,并在文件中表示,由于 SEC 的诉状没有也不能辩称其确定的简单资产交易涉及与企业相关的持续合同义务,因此 Coinbase 有权对诉状做出判断。SEC 认为买方希望获取增值的任何购买行为都构成投资合同,因此也构成证券,这是试图从根本上扩大其自身的权力,正如重大问题原则所明确的那样,如果一个机构想要就具有重大意义的问题做出决定,就必须得到国会明确授权的支持。

判决详情

Katherine Polk Failla 法官驳回了大部分 Coinbase 的动议,认为监管机构对该交易所提出了“合理”的指控。她设定了 4 月 19 日为双方就案件安排计划达成一致的最后期限。虽然法官表示 SEC 似乎有理由认为 Wallet 上列出的某些代币可能符合“投资合同”的标准,但 Coinbase 似乎并没有充当经纪公司,因此驳回了诉讼的这一部分。她裁定,诉讼的其他方面可以继续进行,驳回了有关 SEC 违反重大问题原则或行政程序法的说法。

Coinbase 首席法务官 Paul Grewal 对此表示:像我们这样针对政府机构的早期动议几乎总是被拒绝。在其继续这一流程及任何必要的上诉过程中,我们鼓励美国国会继续推进美国综合数字资产立法。如果想要创新留在美国,这是至关重要的。我们也赞赏法院的理解,即 Coinbase 钱包等技术创新不会也不可能涉及美国证券法。  

未来走向

目前案件进入审理阶段,最终的判决结果仍无法确定,关于案件的走向众说纷纭。前美国联邦检察官、Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP 合伙人 Samson Enzer 曾在 1 月 27 日预计到法官不会在现阶段驳回 SEC 诉 Coinbase 案,因为对于 SEC 提出足以获得证据披露的指控来说,门槛非常低。Enzer 表示,目前法庭面临的问题是,假设 SEC 的立场成立,是否有足够的证据可以提出可行的主张,然后继续进行证据发现。

SEC 前咨询委员会成员 JW Verret 则在 2023 年 XRP 案件胜诉后表示,法院对 XRP 案件的判决将大大提高 Coinbase 在针对 SEC 的法庭诉讼中的胜算。彭博社高级诉讼分析师 Elliott Stein 在今年 1 月份预测 Coinbase 在其对 SEC 的诉讼中将获得胜利,他认为 Coinbase 对“投资合同”的定义比 SEC 提供的更为精确,这可能是案件的转折点。他也提到了 Ripple 诉 SEC 案件的裁决可能对 Coinbase 的诉讼产生积极影响。

福克斯记者 Eleanor Terrett 认为,直到案件得出结论之前,这里不会有一个明确的“胜利”。但就这次裁决而言,双方都有所胜利。SEC 成功地让法官 Failla 相信,对于大部分指控,它对 Coinbase 大部分主张有一个合理的理由。但同样,Coinbase 在发现过程中也可能说服她。Failla 还同意了 Coinbase 关于钱包的主张。对所有涉及方来说,好消息是法官 Failla 实际上对加密资产/Web3非常了解,并且意识到她的案件结果的重要性。

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