Coinbase requests permission to help Ripple Labs in its ongoing legal battle with SEC

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has requested permission to assist Ripple Labs in its ongoing legal battle with the SEC.

In a series of tweets on October 31, Coinbase’s chief legal officer, Paul Grewal, stated that the exchange had asked the presiding judge for permission to file an amicus brief, citing the case as a “textbook” example of “just how critical fair notice is.”

An amicus brief, also known as a “friend of the court,” is a legal document that contains advice or information about a court case from a non-party organization or individual.

Grewal went on to say that authorities cannot “condemn conduct as a violation of law without providing fair notice that the conduct is illegal,” which is a fundamental protection under the US Constitution.

If approved, Coinbase will join the non-profit organization Investor Choice Advocates Network and the cryptocurrency mobile app SpendTheBits in filing amicus briefs.

The filing comes on the same day that cryptocurrency lawyer John Deaton filed a motion seeking permission to file an amicus brief on behalf of the XRP “decentralized community,” as well as briefs from crypto advocacy group the Crypto Council for Innovation and venture capital firm Valhil Capital.

It also comes just days after the Blockchain Association, a crypto advocacy group, announced its support for Ripple on Oct. 28 by announcing the filing of its own amicus brief, noting that SEC chairman Gary Gensler’s views on securities laws could have “devastating effects” on the space.

Ripple Labs has been embroiled in a nearly two-year legal battle with the SEC, which considers the sale of its XRP tokens to be unregistered securities sales.