Mercury Digital Assets Exchange Selects Dilworth Paxson LLP As Outside Counsel

June 19, 2018 (Philadelphia, PA) — Dilworth Paxson LLP was recently selected to serve as legal counsel to Mercury Digital Assets Exchange (“Mercury Exchange”). With headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, Mercury Exchange is building a high-performance digital assets exchange suitable for retail clients and institutional investors. The company is building this platform from the ground up, with a focus on security and reliability. Its founders, Balakrishna Inamdar—known throughout the industry as “Mr. B”—and Achuthan Krishna, have extensive knowledge and skills in building world-class exchange technologies from their experiences with Intercontinental Exchange (ICE/NYSE), Trading Technologies, and Allston Trading.

“We are collaborating with talented attorneys at Dilworth Paxson who have numerous years of expertise in intellectual property, banking, and financial services, and securities and tax regulations, among other practice areas, to remain legally compliant, especially in this emerging area of technology and digital assets,” said Mr. Inamdar, co-founder, and CEO of Mercury Exchange. “We are excited to be moving ahead in our journey to make crypto currency exchange an easier and safer mode of exchange, with the help of our legal team at Dilworth. We commend the vision, hard work and experience of attorney John A. Squires to put this deal together with the full support of the firm’s CEO, Ajay Raju. John has a tremendous and recognized body of work advising on some of the first ECNs and market structure joint ventures while in-house at Goldman Sachs and successful launches of start-ups such as Regulatory DataCorp, the Risk Assistance Network & Exchange (“RANE”), and a host of other FinTech and RegTech endeavors. His Dilworth team is making significant contributions to the digital assets and blockchain infrastructure with this relationship.”

According to Squires, a Dilworth partner and chairman of the firm’s IP and Emerging Company Practice, “Mercury Exchange is committed to making the digital assets class safe by embracing security and regulation, and this is where our attorneys’ proficiency is critical. We work with state and other market regulators to comply not only with existing regulations but also in fostering forward-looking new ones that promote positive public/private sector engagement. This is especially challenging for an asset class in its infancy and that is rapidly expanding globally. The companies that build safe and solid infrastructure and make meaningful contributions will ultimately succeed. Mercury Exchange will be a foundational building block of digital assets. Dilworth and Mercury Exchange will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in making their vision a reality.”

Squires has a broad and globally recognized intellectual property practice and is considered one of the world’s thought leaders in FinTech, blockchain, cybersecurity, and risk. He has extensive experience in all aspects of IP and emerging companies, including IP transactions, licensing, patent-asset creation and acquisition, commercial litigation, regulatory, and risk management matters. He has obtained some of the nation’s very first blockchain technology patents and has led the creation of the United States’ first patent asset-backed finance platform for one of the world’s leading funds. Squires co-founded, launched, and sits on the board of numerous IP and risk-related businesses, including the nation’s RegTech platform and Regulatory DataCorp, Inc.

Dilworth Paxson represents financial institutions in a wide variety of areas and the firm’s IP group includes not only attorneys seasoned in the intricacies of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and other IP laws, but also lawyers whose experience spans related fields, such as corporate law, tax, finance, litigation, and international law.