Guys and girls, please chill... this is directly from the sec.gov website, please read it all before you FUD.
"Developers, businesses, and individuals increasingly are using initial coin offerings, also called ICOs or token sales, to raise capital. These activities may provide fair and lawful investment opportunities."
I read that and think, perfect, the US gov is validating ICOs and SOME tokens, not all, nice. They just can't be classified as "securities" but this in no way ends the ICOs or crypto movement lol, they are welcoming it! Read the news...
I agree people should read and understand the report.
What the SEC said (paraphrased) was if someone sells a security, even if they call it an ICO, U.S. securities regulations still apply. Here's actual language from the report, "Accordingly, the Commission deems it appropriate and in the public interest to issue this Report in order to stress that the U.S. federal securities law may apply to various activities, including distributed ledger technology, depending on the particular facts and circumstances,
without regard to the form of the organization or technology used to effectuate a particular offer or sale."
But what they also said was, "
Whether or not a particular transaction involves the offer and sale of a security—regardless of the terminology used—
will depend on the facts and circumstances, including the economic realities of the transaction."
The takeaway is if your ICO or token launch is a security then US laws apply. But the SEC clearly states that not all ICOs are securities.