American Restaurant Flyfish Club 就未註冊的 NFT 發行與 SEC 達成和解

Flyfish Club 將支付 75 萬美元罰款，並在十天內銷毀該公司擁有的所有 NFT。

American restaurant Flyfish Club has agreed to pay a $750,000 fine to the U.S. SEC for an “unregistered offering of crypto asset securities.”

美國餐廳 Flyfish Club 已同意因「未註冊發行加密資產證券」而向美國 SEC 支付 75 萬美元罰款。

According to the SEC ruling, between August 2021 and May 2022, Flyfish Club sold around 1,600 NFTs to investors. These tokens were supposed to become an exclusive means of obtaining membership in the club. The project earned $14.8 million, which was planned to finance the construction and launch of a private restaurant, Flyfish Club, intended only for club members.

根據 SEC 的裁決，2021 年 8 月至 2022 年 5 月期間，Flyfish Club 向投資者出售了約 1,600 個 NFT。這些代幣本應成為獲得俱樂部會員資格的獨家手段。該項目獲得了 1480 萬美元，計劃用於資助建造和開設一家私人餐廳 Flyfish Club，該餐廳僅供俱樂部會員使用。

The regulator argues that these NFTs fall under federal securities laws because token holders can resell them at a higher price and earn passive income by renting them out. Based on these findings, the agency said Flyfish Club violated Sections 5(a) and 5(c) of the Securities Act of 1933 by failing to register the collectible tokens as securities. The SEC’s order requires Flyfish Club to pay a civil penalty of $750,000 and destroy all NFTs in the company’s possession within ten days.

監管機構認為，這些 NFT 受聯邦證券法管轄，因為代幣持有者可以以更高的價格轉售它們，並透過出租它們來賺取被動收入。根據這些調查結果，該機構表示，Flyfish Club 未能將可收藏代幣註冊為證券，違反了 1933 年《證券法》第 5(a) 和 5(c) 條。 SEC 的命令要求 Flyfish Club 支付 75 萬美元的民事罰款，並在十天內銷毀該公司擁有的所有 NFT。

However, not all SEC officials agree with the agency’s actions. Former SEC representatives Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda insist that Flyfish Club’s NFTs are utility tokens, not securities. They were created to provide access to exclusive dining offers and not as speculative investment vehicles. Peirce and Uyeda are concerned that the SEC’s intervention could negatively impact NFT holders by making them even more difficult to transfer and resell.

然而，並非所有 SEC 官員都同意該機構的行動。前 SEC 代表 Hester Peirce 和 Mark Uyeda 堅稱 Flyfish Club 的 NFT 是實用代幣，而不是證券。它們的創建是為了提供獨家餐飲優惠，而不是作為投機性投資工具。 Peirce 和 Uyeda 擔心 SEC 的干預可能會對 NFT 持有者產生負面影響，使他們更難轉讓和轉售。

“Leaving crypto to be addressed in an endless series of misguided and overreaching cases has been and continues to be a consequential mistake.”

“讓加密貨幣在一系列無休無止的誤導和過度案例中得到解決，一直是並將繼續是一個嚴重的錯誤。”

The commissioners emphasized that NFTs are a new tool for chefs and artists to monetize their talents and provide unique experiences that overly restrictive regulatory interpretations shouldn’t stifle.

委員們強調，NFT 是廚師和藝術家將其才華貨幣化的新工具，並提供獨特的體驗，過度限制性的監管解釋不應扼殺這些體驗。

In August, the SEC threatened to sue OpenSea, arguing that the collectible tokens traded on OpenSea are securities.

8 月，SEC 威脅要起訴 OpenSea，稱 OpenSea 上交易的收藏代幣是證券。

OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer reacted to the SEC’s Wells notice, calling it “regulatory saber-rattling” that's venturing into “uncharted territory”. He feared it could backfire and cause creators of NFTs to stop making digital art.

OpenSea 執行長 Devin Finzer 對 SEC 的威爾斯通知做出了反應，稱其為“監管武力威脅”，正在冒險進入“未知領域”。他擔心這可能會適得其反，導致 NFT 的創作者停止製作數位藝術。

OpenSea has received a Wells notice from the SEC threatening to sue us because they believe NFTs on our platform are securities.

OpenSea 收到了來自 SEC 的 Wells 通知，威脅要起訴我們，因為他們認為我們平台上的 NFT 是證券。

We're shocked the SEC would make such a sweeping move against creators and artists. But we're ready to stand up and fight.

我們對美國證券交易委員會會對創作者和藝術家採取如此全面的行動感到震驚。但我們已經準備好站起來戰鬥。

Cryptocurrencies have long…

加密貨幣長期以來...

Finzer said the company would defend the rights of digital artists and promised to set aside $5 million to cover legal costs for any NFT developers who might receive a similar notice from the regulator.

Finzer 表示，該公司將捍衛數位藝術家的權利，並承諾撥出 500 萬美元，為任何可能收到監管機構類似通知的 NFT 開發商支付法律費用。

The SEC, meanwhile, continues to face criticism from the crypto community and U.S. lawmakers. In 2022, the agency first turned its attention to NFTs, accusing a Los Angeles-based media company of selling unregistered securities through NFTs. The case ended in a $6 million settlement.

同時，美國證券交易委員會繼續面臨加密貨幣社群和美國立法者的批評。 2022年，該機構首次將注意力轉向NFT，指控一家總部位於洛杉磯的媒體公司透過NFT出售未註冊的證券。該案以 600 萬美元和解告終。

In the wake of the harassment, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Fintech, and Inclusion said it would hold a hearing titled “Dazed and Confused: Breaking Down the SEC’s Politicized Approach to Digital Assets.”

騷擾事件發生後，美國眾議院數位資產、金融科技和包容性小組委員會表示，將舉行題為「茫然與困惑：打破 SEC 對數位資產的政治化方法」的聽證會。

The subcommittee said SEC Chairman Gary Gensler “prioritized and pursued an enforcement and regulatory agenda to the detriment of the digital asset ecosystem” during his tenure on the panel.

該小組委員會表示，SEC 主席加里·根斯勒 (Gary Gensler) 在擔任該小組成員期間「優先考慮並推行了不利於數位資產生態系統的執法和監管議程」。

“During Chair Gensler’s tenure, the SEC has not released guidance on how the SEC determines whether a digital asset meets the definition of a security. Rather, Chair Gensler and the SEC have publicly opined.”

「在 Gensler 主席任職期間，SEC 尚未發布關於 SEC 如何確定數位資產是否符合證券定義的指南。相反，Gensler 主席和 SEC 已經公開發表了意見。

They cited inconsistencies with the SEC Chair’s position on digital assets as securities under the Howey test and disagreements among commissioners.

他們指出，這與 SEC 主席關於豪伊測試下數位資產作為證券的立場不一致，以及委員之間存在分歧。

Former SEC Commissioner Dan Gallagher and former agency lawyer Michael Liftick are expected to testify at the hearing on Sep. 18.

前 SEC 專員 Dan Gallagher 和前機構律師 Michael Liftick 預計將在 9 月 18 日的聽證會上作證。

Coinbase founded the legal advocacy group Stand With Crypto and launched a Legal Defense Fund to protect NFT projects.

Coinbase 成立了法律倡導組織 Stand With Crypto，並推出了法律辯護基金來保護 NFT 項目。

Today, we raise our shield to protect a foundational part of the crypto community.

今天，我們舉起盾牌來保護加密社群的基礎部分。

Alongside @opensea & @a16zcrypto, we are launching a $6m legal defense fund for NFT creators.

除了 @opensea 和 @a16zcrypto 之外，我們還為 NFT 創作者推出了 600 萬美元的法律辯護基金。

Creatives can now stand up to misguided actions from the SEC.

創意人士現在可以抵制 SEC 的誤導行為。

Learn more: https://t.co/8fc2YEQs80 pic.twitter.com/dmOtoN3gbi

了解更多：https://t.co/8fc2YEQs80 pic.twitter.com/dmOtoN3gbi

On Sep. 13, Stand With Crypto announced a $6 million fund backed by venture giant a16z and NFT marketplace OpenSea. Leading law firms Fenwick & West LLP, Goodwin Procter LLP, and Latham & Watkins LLP will provide critical legal resources to those working in the blockchain and NFT space, according to the statement. A16z contributed $1 million to the Creator Legal Defense Fund, while OpenSea donated $5 million.

9 月 13 日，Stand With Crypto 宣佈設立 600 萬美元基金，由創投巨頭 a16z 和 NFT 市場 OpenSea 提供支援。聲明稱，領先的律師事務所 Fenwick & West LLP、Goodwin Procter LLP 和 Latham & Watkins LLP 將為區塊鏈和 NFT 領域的工作人員提供重要的法律資源。 A16z 向創作者法律辯護基金捐贈了 100 萬美元，OpenSea 則捐贈了 500 萬美元。