Share this article

Kik (Again) Asks for Trial in Legal Tussle With SEC Over Token Sale

Kik is hoping to go to trial in the ongoing legal fight with the SEC over its 2017 kin token sale.

Updated Sep 13, 2021, 12:07 p.m. Published Jan 10, 2020, 10:00 a.m.
Kik CEO Ted Livingston (Credit: CoinDesk archives)
Kik CEO Ted Livingston (Credit: CoinDesk archives)

Kik is hoping to go to trial against U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) allegations that the company conducted an unregistered securities offering with its 2017 kin token sale.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters

The SEC filed a status update on the legal battle Thursday, providing a tentative schedule for the proceedings and detailing the parties' plans for scheduling some remaining depositions.

"Kik requests that the Court set a trial date. The SEC takes no position on whether setting a trial date would be helpful at this stage and submits that the matter can and should be resolved by dispositive motion," the filing reads.

The tentative schedule, assuming all depositions are able to be completed by the end of January, would be:

  • Jan. 28: Parties plan to complete all of their depositions
  • Feb. 28: Parties will exchange expert reports
  • March 24: Parties will file rebuttals to the expert reports
  • April 17: Parties plan to end expert discovery
  • May 8: Parties will file their motions for summary judgement and attempts to exclude any evidence
  • June 3: Parties will file their oppositions
  • June 19: Parties will reply to the oppositions

Kik has been looking to hold a trial in the case since the summer of 2019. CEO Ted Livingston told CoinDesk in August that Kik was hoping for a May 2020 trial date, but that the SEC had pushed for a later timeline.

At the heart of the case is whether kin tokens, which Kik developed, were securities in 2017 during the ICO. Kik raised $100 million from the sale.

The company has complained of a heavy financial burden since the case began, selling off its original Kik messaging platform and pivoting to focus solely on its cryptocurrency ecosystem.

See the filing below:

More For You

Protocol Research: GoPlus Security

GP Basic Image

What to know:

  • As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
  • GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
  • Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.

More For You

Gemini Approved by CFTC to Offer U.S. Prediction Markets, Stock Surges Nearly 14%

Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss at White House (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Gemini said its affiliate Gemini Titan won CFTC approval to operate a Designated Contract Market, allowing the firm to offer regulated prediction markets in the U.S.

What to know:

  • Gemini said its affiliate, Gemini Titan, received CFTC approval to operate as a Designated Contract Market.
  • The firm stated that the license enables it to offer regulated prediction markets to U.S. customers.
  • The Winklevoss twins praised the decision as aligning with President Trump’s push for U.S. leadership in the crypto sector.