Uniswap Labs, VC backers cleared of liability in scam token case as judge dismisses complaint

1 year ago

A justice for the United States District Court of Southern New York dismissed a people enactment suit against Uniswap successful a filing dated Aug. 30.

The lawsuit, which targeted Uniswap Labs arsenic good arsenic task superior defendants Paradigm, Andreessen Horowitz, and USV, claimed that the plaintiffs suffered fiscal losses owed to investing successful scam tokens traded via Uniswap’s decentralized exchange. The plaintiffs besides argued that Uniswap Labs violated national securities instrumentality and authorities law.

However, Judge Katherine Polk Failla wrote successful her sentiment that, portion the tribunal accepted that the scam tokens successful question were so fraudulent, it lacked the authorization to clasp Uniswap Labs and its backers accountable for losses. The “contracts” successful question, which notation to Uniswap’s astute contracts, were deemed by the tribunal arsenic peripheral to the fraudulent token enactment and did not interruption securities laws directly.

Inadequacies successful the system

The tribunal besides ruled that Uniswap did not solicit purchases oregon transportation titles of the circumstantial scam tokens successful question, which are conditions indispensable to found liability nether U.S. statute. Broad claims that Uniswap is “secure” were deemed insufficient to show solicitation of the scam tokens. The tribunal besides dismissed power idiosyncratic liability claims owed to the lack of a superior securities instrumentality violation.

Concluding that the tribunal recovered nary ineligible avenue to clasp Uniswap Labs oregon the VC firms accountable nether national securities laws, Judge

“The Court declines to agelong the national securities laws to screen the behaviour alleged, and concludes that Plaintiffs’ concerns are amended addressed to Congress than to this Court.”

Despite dismissing the suit, the justice suggested that Congress could code issues related to anonymity that are “troublesome capable to merit [further] regulation.”

She besides noted that the SEC could code “gray areas” successful securities law, citing statements from SEC seat Gary Gensler successful September 2021 suggesting that DeFi projects were nether greater scrutiny. The SEC began an investigation into Uniswap Labs astatine that clip but seemingly did not instrumentality further action.

Uniswap Labs main ineligible serviceman (CLO) Marvin Ammori endorsed the ineligible victory. He said connected Twitter/X that Uniswap “has chiefly lawful use” and asserted that protocol developers are not liable erstwhile customers misuse its services.

The station Uniswap Labs, VC backers cleared of liability successful scam token lawsuit arsenic justice dismisses complaint appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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