Addressing legal issues with the latest technological developments and social media trends.
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Both the Central Bank of Russia and the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office explained that the rouble is the country’s sole official currency and that the production of alternative monetary products, such as Bitcoin and other virtual currencies, is illegal under current law.  Russian regulators also warned that anyone who exchanges virtual currency for national or foreign currency, goods, or services will be treated as if they are potentially involved in suspicious activities, money laundering, or terrorism financing.

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Although many of you are obviously fascinated by the fast-paced virtual currency industry, trying to read a news article or blog can sometimes be incredibly difficult due to the sheer number of acronyms and terms of art commonly used by industry participants. The author of the attached document endeavored to capture the key acronyms, abbreviations and definitions relevant to the VC industry to assist you so that you can keep up with key developments. Still have questions or additional acronyms, abbreviations or definitions that you would like us to add? Please contact the author, Amy Pierce, or any of our Social Media & Games attorneys.

Check out our helpful guide here: Virtual Currency – Acronyms Abbreviations and Key Definitions

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The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the forfeiture of approximately 29,655 Bitcoins in connection with the seizure of the Silk Road website.  The Silk Road operated as a marketplace for illicit goods and services before it was shutdown in October 2013.  At the time the U.S. Attorney’s Office seized the Silk Road website and its servers, a large number of Bitcoins was found in a digital wallet stored on the website’s servers.  Since the seizure, no claims have been filed for the wallet, and on January 16, 2014, United States District Judge J. Paul Oetken held that the wallet was deemed forfeited to the U.S. Government.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that it has not yet been determined how the Bitcoins will be liquidated.  Since the seizure of the Bitcoins, the value of the virtual currency has grown with the market’s increasing demand.  At the present exchange rate, the Bitcoins are valued at approximately $28 million, approximately 4x their value at the time of the seizure.

Source;
Source

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Another set of Bitcoin-related arrests for failing to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/101366511

Interestingly,
investors in one of the companies include the Winkelvoss twins. Anyone who is involved in Bitcoin or other virtual currency endeavors needs to ensure that they understand and comply with the law. This includes getting licensed when necessary and complying with all disclosure obligations. While there are many legal, sound investment opportunities in this space. Investors should be particularly careful in conducting legal diligence in these companies before investing.

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On January 28th and 29th, the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) will hold hearings to discuss the regulation of virtual currencies, including the potential issuance of a “BitLicense” specific to virtual currencies.  The DFS previously expressed concern about virtual currencies remaining a “virtual Wild West for narcotraffickers and other criminals….”   Despite this concern,
the DFS, like FinCEN, has indicated a willingness to work with the virtual currency industry and other stakeholders to establish “appropriate regulatory guardrails to protect consumers and our national security.”  The DFS “is concerned that – at a minimum – virtual currency exchangers may be engaged in money transmission as defined in New York law, which is an activity that is licensed and regulated by DFS.”  Thus, even though the DFS has stated that it has not made a determination at this point about the necessary regulatory guidelines for virtual currencies, one might anticipate that, at a minimum,
these guidelines will include additional oversight and licensure “to bring virtual currencies out of the darkness and into the light of day.”

The upcoming hearings will be held in New York City and will include some high-profile players in virtual currency, such as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Principals of Winklevoss Capital Management, Barry Silbert, Founder & CEO of SecondMarket and Founder of the Bitcoin Investment Trust, Fred Ehrsam,
Co-Founder of Coinbase, and Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., District Attorney of New York County.

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On January 16, 2014, The Sacramento Bee in its article Kings will be first pro sports franchise to accept online currency Bitcoins announced that by March 1, 2014, Sacramento Kings fans “will be able to purchase team merchandise and tickets using Bitcoins through BitPay.”  Bitcoin is a virtual currency which can be transferred through various exchanges.  In the article, Vivek Ranadive, the Kings managing partner and founder of the Silicon Valley tech firm Tibco Software Inc., confirms that “he wants the team to be among the most technologically-advanced franchises in the world. He calls his philosophy ‘NBA 3.0.'”  Among other technological advancements the Kings plan are a technology-rich proposed new arena and “a new Kings app for smartphones that allows fans to upgrade their seats at games, provides detailed maps of Sleep Train Arena and includes a virtual noise-making cowbell.”  Their approach is intended to make “the experience for those fans more seamless and hassle free.”

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Targetbillboard.jpgThere have been numerous reports that West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey issued a warning to consumers on Monday, January 13, 204, about a Target gift card scam occurring throughout the country on social media websites. Evidently, consumers are purportedly offered a Target gift card to make up for the widely-reported December data breach. This is apparently a scam that directs consumers to fake domains pretending to be Target. Morrisey warns that “[c]onsumers also need to be wary of fake domain names pretending to Target popping up.”  He further suggested that “[I]f consumers receive communications or offers appearing to be from Target, they should call Target to confirm the communication is legitimate and report any instances of fraud to our office.”

Other Sources:  Legal Newsline, W. Va. AG warns of Target gift card scam (Jan.
15, 2014); Register Herald, AG warns Target gift card offer is a scam (Jan.
13, 2014); Charleston Daily Mail, Attorney General says Target gift card offers are scams (Jan.
13, 2014)
Image Source: Creative Commons

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Joe Jensen, general manager of Intel’s Retail Solutions Division, at the National Retail Federation Convention & Expo, New York, Jan. 13, 2014, confirmed that “Intel has been actively working with leading retailers and the industry for several years to enable retailers to use the Internet of Things to deliver more entertaining brand experiences while also reducing operational costs.” Intel is “taking those efforts a step further by delivering more intelligent solutions and enabling retailers to make better use of big data to deliver a more personalized shopping experience.”

Avid shoppers may be excited to learn that, as reported by Intel, “[w]ith Intel-based Shopping Anywhere, consumers can intuitively shop the looks from their favorite television programs right from their couch.”  Or, “[I]f a consumer prefers to bring the ease of online shopping with them in-store, the Intel® Core™ i7-based MemoryMirror* full-length, digital ‘mirror,’ allows store shoppers to virtually try on multiple outfits, and view and compare previous looks on the mirror or via smartphone or tablet.”  The mirror will use “Intel integrated graphics technology to create avatars of the shopper wearing various clothing that can be shared with friends to solicit feedback or viewed instantly to make an immediate in-store purchase.”  This approaches is expected to provide shoppers with “an engaging and seamless buying experience, regardless of where they are or what device they are using.”

Additional Sources, Intel Newsroom, Intel Personalizes Shopping with Internet of Things, Big Data Technologies (Jan. 13, 2014)

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The Singapore tax authority has issued guidance
which confirms the viability of certain Bitcoin transactions. Like the central bank in China, the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) took the position that Bitcoin is not a type of money or currency. This is still an unsettled question in other jurisdictions.

Even if Bitcoin is not currency, transactions in Bitcoins can lead to profits which the Singapore authority is happy to tax, at least in some situations. According to the IRAS guidance, short-term speculative transactions in Bitcoins will be taxed, while capital gains generated from long-term investment will be tax free.  The IRAS guidance also distinguishes using Bitcoins in purchase of physical goods (taxable) and of virtual goods (not taxable).

The IRAS guidance has been warmly welcomed within the Bitcoin community in Singapore for being “rational and well thought-out.” Some observers believe that, given the embryonic state of the Bitcoin economy, an incremental and pragmatic approach to regulation makes more sense than attempts to impose blanket definitions or characterization, let alone any outright prohibitions, on transactions in this new and emerging unit of value.

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The taxation of virtual currencies has garnered increasing attention, in part due to the princely fortunes some are making from the rapid increase in the price of Bitcoins. Yet, the U.S. IRS has issued little guidance in this area. This is likely to change soon. In May 2013, the GAO issued a report on Virtual Economies and Currencies. In part, the report states:

Transactions within virtual economies or using virtual currencies could produce taxable income in various ways, depending on the facts and circumstances of each transaction. For example, transactions within a “closed-flow” virtual currency system do not produce taxable income because a virtual currency can be used only to purchase virtual goods or services. An example of a closed-flow transaction is the purchase of items to use within an online game. In an “open-flow” system, a taxpayer who receives virtual currency as payment for real goods or services may have earned taxable income since the virtual currency can be exchanged for real goods or services or readily exchanged for government-issued currency, such as U.S.
dollars.

More recently, the 2013 National Taxpayer Advocate Annual Report to Congress notes the increasing use of virtual currencies, particularly Bitcoin and that the IRS has yet to issue specific guidance addressing the tax treatment or reporting requirements applicable to virtual currency transactions. The report concludes that IRS-issued guidance would promote tax compliance, particularly among those who want to report virtual currency transactions properly, and it would reduce the risk that users of virtual currencies will face tax consequences that they did not anticipate.

Despite noting that the IRS website suggests that existing guidance covers these transactions, it states that this guidance did not explain when the transactions are sufficiently analogous to be covered by existing rules. Among the remaining questions it identified the following:

1.    
When will receiving or using digital currency trigger gains and losses?

2.    
When will these gains and losses be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains?

3.    
What information reporting,
withholding, backup withholding, and recordkeeping requirements apply to digital currency transactions?

4.    
When should digital currency holdings be reported on a Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR),
or Form 8938, Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets?

In the interim, our Social Media Team’s tax gurus are monitoring the issues.