Introduction to Utility Tokens and Initial Coin Offerings

Overview

Utility tokens and initial coin offerings occupy a complex and actively enforced corner of digital asset law, where the line between a utility instrument and an unregistered security can carry significant legal and financial consequences. This seminar gives business, legal, and technical professionals a grounded understanding of how utility tokens are structured, how ICOs are conducted, and how they differ from other digital asset classes such as security tokens or cryptocurrencies. A central focus is SEC regulatory oversight — including the application of the Howey test, enforcement priorities, and registration or exemption considerations — so participants understand the real compliance stakes. The course also examines the practical risks that ICO organizers and buyers face and clarifies where legal counsel can add the most value in structuring, reviewing, or advising on these transactions.

What you’ll learn

• ✓Explain how utility tokens are structured and how they differ from security tokens and other digital assets
• ✓Describe the mechanics of an initial coin offering, from issuance to distribution
• ✓Apply the SEC's analytical framework — including the Howey test — to assess whether a token may constitute a security
• ✓Identify the primary legal and regulatory risks that ICO organizers and token purchasers face under U.S. securities law
• ✓Recognize the circumstances under which registration requirements or exemptions are likely to apply to a token offering
• ✓Outline the role legal counsel plays in structuring compliant token offerings and advising clients navigating SEC scrutiny

Curriculum

1. 1. Introduction to Utility Tokens and Initial Coin Offerings for Lawyers

   In this seminar, our expert panelists give an overview of ICOs and highlight their risks to organizers and buyers. They then break down the different attributes of ICOs and review what utility tokens are, reviewing how they differ from cryptocurrencies and security tokens. Our speakers conclude by reviewing SEC securities enforcement for ICOs and utility tokens, its framework for identifying tokens as securities, and counsels’ role in this equation. Topics covered in this webinar: Overview of Initial Coin Offerings Attributes of Initial Coin Offerings Review of Utility Tokens SEC, Utility Tokens, and ICOs

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