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The legal dispute between Coinbase, a major U.S.-based crypto exchange, and the Oregon attorney general might move to a federal court. This signal comes as Paul Grewal, Coinbase’s Chief Legal Officer (CLO), argues that the lawsuit involves interpreting a federal term — "investment contract."
Coinbase demands federal oversight in legal standoff
For context, Dan Rayfield, Oregon’s attorney general, has filed a complaint against the crypto exchange, claiming it sold unregistered securities to U.S. residents. According to Grewal, the state-level lawsuit impacts several assets, including Cardano, XRP, Solana and many more.
In an update shared with the community on X, Grewal criticized Oregon's move to enforce crypto regulations independent of the federal laws of the U.S. He maintains that establishing crypto regulation, such as defining a security, remains an exclusive concern of the federal government — not individual states.
Grewal opines that the state of Oregon is overstepping its bounds by attempting to claim authority over crypto regulation. "Not all regulatory land grabs ended in 2025," he wrote.
This suggests that while the crypto ecosystem had thought aggressive state pushes were a thing of the past, Oregon’s attorney general is still pushing for them. Hence, Coinbase requests that a federal court judge decide the matter to resolve the standoff.
Implications for crypto regulation and innovation in U.S.
The legal battle has caught the interest of some in the crypto space, and rightly so. According to Ryan VanGrack, Conbase’s VP Legal, if Oregon succeeds, it could undo gains in the crypto sector as each state begins to make its crypto regulations.
This might hurt innovation, confuse consumers, slow the progress of crypto and make it hard for companies to operate freely in the U.S. It could also slow the current administration's Strategic Crypto Reserve plans.
Another user in the crypto space noted that if every state in the U.S. invents its own regulations, the country cannot become a leading space for crypto activity. The user dismissed claims that Oregon’s lawsuit was about consumer protection and alleged it was a power grab and a waste of taxpayer dollars.
Vladislav Sopov
U.Today Editorial Team