Barbara A. Jones

Firm/Organization: Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Blogs: Emerging Technology Views, Financial Services Observer, GT Israel Law Blog

Latest Articles

SEC Clears First Two Regulated Token Offerings

By Barbara A. Jones & Rebecca G. DiStefano on August 5, 2019

In July 2019, the SEC qualified the first token offerings under Regulation A+, approving blockchain startup Blockstack’s bitcoin-like digital tokens on July 10, and live video streaming platform YouNow’s offering of its “Props” tokens on July 11. These decisions will likely serve as new fundraising templates for many blockchain businesses. Blockstack Blockstack describes its services as being an open-source decentralized computing platform, whose software libraries enable developers to build decentralized applications, that have no single…

Financial Services Observer

SEC Issues ‘No-Action’ Letters Allowing Sales of Utility Tokens

By Barbara A. Jones & Rebecca G. DiStefano on August 1, 2019

In a significant step forward for the cryptocurrency industry, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission issued its first “no-action” letter (NAL) to a U.S.-based company using utility tokens created for consumptive use rather than investment. The regulator sent the letter to TurnKey Jet, Inc. (TKJ) on April 3, 2019, agreeing with the Florida-based air charter and air taxi service’s interpretation that the tokens it uses in its token membership program for sale of air charter…

GT Israel Law Blog

A Global Regulatory Overview of Token Offerings

By Barbara A. Jones on July 15, 2019

The world’s attitude toward token offerings, sales and issuances is ever-shifting. The positions of various countries range from an official recognition of no interference to a full ban on digital currencies. Many nations are pursuing changes to their regulatory policies to keep pace with broad market interest in cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. This article summarizes recent developments by lawmakers and regulatory authorities in certain key jurisdictions around the globe, including Israel, (other than the United…

Emerging Technology Views

Could Blockchain Disrupt How We Protect Our Intellectual Property?

By Chinh H. Pham, Barbara A. Jones & Jonathan A. Beckham on May 16, 2018

Everybody is talking about blockchain as a disrupter in the banking and finance industries, but this emerging technology also has potential application for intellectual property (IP) protection. Blockchain creates the potential for an “open, distributed ledger” that permits the secure transfer and recordation of information and data, including digital assets, without the need for middlemen. Once recorded, the data in any given “block” cannot be changed retroactively, except in certain circumstances involving the modification of…

Financial Services Observer

Regulators Weigh in on Digital Assets, Tokens, Securities, and Derivative Instruments Used in ICOs

By Douglas E. Arend, Rebecca G. DiStefano, Carl A. Fornaris, Barbara A. Jones, Marvin A. Kirsner, William Mack & Maria Sendra on November 1, 2017

The rise of blockchain technology ventures raising money preternaturally through initial coin offerings and token generation events (collectively, ICOs) is a capital formation disruptor, one which has and will continue to spawn considerable futures, fortunes, failures — and frauds. Blockchain-based ICOs have, through 121 offerings closed during January-August 2017, raised over $1.78 billion, with an expected amount at year-end 2017 of over $3 billion according to publicly-available estimates. While IPOs raised about $12 billion (and…

Emerging Technology Views

Regulators Weigh in on Digital Assets, Tokens, Securities, and Derivative Instruments Used in ICOs

By Douglas E. Arend, Rebecca G. DiStefano, Carl A. Fornaris, Barbara A. Jones, Marvin A. Kirsner, William Mack & Maria Sendra on November 1, 2017

Financial Services Observer

SEC Investor Advisory Committee Considers Blockchain Technology

By Jonathan A. Beckham & Barbara A. Jones on October 30, 2017

On Oct. 12, 2017, the Investor Advisory Committee of the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (the SEC) hosted a panel discussion on blockchain technology. The session represented another instance of the SEC’s ongoing consideration of the impact of blockchain technology on U.S. securities markets and investors. Different perspectives on blockchain technology and its application to U.S. securities markets and transactions were shared by the panelists. The panel included Jeff Bandman, a former fintech advisor to the…

GT Israel Law Blog

SEC Adopts Regulation Crowdfunding to Facilitate Early Capital Raises

By Barbara A. Jones, Ira N. Rosner & John K. Wells on December 1, 2015

The U.S. regulators have long been considering ways to make it easier for early-stage startup companies to raise capital in a more flexible and less cumbersome method. The SEC has finally published regulations providing emerging companies with access to U.S. “crowd” investors making smaller investments. Although the new regulations are perhaps less of a radical change than some might have been hoping for, they provide a fundraising avenue that may be attractive to some of…

Barbara A. Jones

SEC Clears First Two Regulated Token Offerings

SEC Issues ‘No-Action’ Letters Allowing Sales of Utility Tokens

A Global Regulatory Overview of Token Offerings

Could Blockchain Disrupt How We Protect Our Intellectual Property?

Regulators Weigh in on Digital Assets, Tokens, Securities, and Derivative Instruments Used in ICOs

Regulators Weigh in on Digital Assets, Tokens, Securities, and Derivative Instruments Used in ICOs

SEC Investor Advisory Committee Considers Blockchain Technology

SEC Adopts Regulation Crowdfunding to Facilitate Early Capital Raises

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