DAO votes to give $5M seed money back to YGG openly breaking contract

2 years ago

In May, the Merit Circle DAO voted successful favour of a connection to region 1 of its effect investors and instrumentality their archetypal investment. The connection claimed that Yield Guild Games had not offered capable worth beyond their fiscal investment. Today, Merit Circle Ltd and Yield Guild Games issued a joint statement.

The Proposal

The proposal named MIP-13 “aimed to show the deficiency of worth YGG has provided the DAO since becoming a effect investor.” It continues,

“It besides aims to cancel YGG’s SAFT, refund their archetypal investment, and region their MC effect tokens.

The writer of this proposal, proposes to find a solution to terminate the fiscal obligations the Merit Circle DAO has with YGG, done removing YGG’s effect tokens and refunding their archetypal 175K USDC contribution.”

According to the notes added to the proposal, “YGG and YGG co-founder Gabby Dizon invested $175k astatine a terms of $0.032, which gives them 5,468,750 MC tokens successful total.” By refunding YGG successful USDC, it would miss retired connected unrealized gains arsenic the token peaked astatine $0.99 connected May 28, the time the connection passed. The connection was aboriginal updated with the pursuing paragraph aft YGG agreed to settee retired of tribunal to debar a lengthy trial.

“Merit Circle ltd has argued for a clause, that volition springiness clip for Merit Circle ltd and YGG to suggest a solution that would beryllium much beneficial for the DAO and each parties progressive successful lawsuit of a YES vote. Author deemed this a just inquire and accepted the clause.”

In an update to the assemblage forum post wherever the connection was initially suggested, the writer states:

“it is worthy mentioning that YGG didn’t adjacent person a governance account, oregon immoderate governance posts until 2 weeks ago. We’re talking implicit fractional a twelvemonth of nothing.”

The Counterproposal

With enactment from Yield Guild Games, MIP-14 was submitted by Merit Circle Ltd arsenic a counterproposal successful alignment with the amendment to MIP-13.

“In airy of the precocious passed connection (MIP-13), the Merit Circle DAO is obliged to renegotiate the presumption of the fiscal agreements made betwixt the DAO and Yield Guild Games.

This connection votes connected the following;

  • The Merit Circle DAO buys retired the YGG and Nifty Fund allocation, a full of 5,468,750 $MC tokens astatine 0.32$. For a full of $1,750,000 USDC.
  • A ineligible statement volition beryllium signed, enforcing the buy-out connection legally and protecting some sides against aboriginal litigation.”

Yield Guild Games accepted 30 cents connected the dollar and a 10X instrumentality connected its archetypal investment. According to our coin data, Merit Circle (MC) has $4.6 cardinal successful regular volume. Therefore, had Yield Guild Games attempted to merchantability its 5.4 cardinal unlocked tokens connected the unfastened market, it would astir apt clang the price. As a result, $0.32 per token whitethorn not beryllium arsenic atrocious a woody arsenic it looks if it had planned to liquidate.

The Legal Debate

Merit Circle DAO was acceptable up by Merit Circle Ltd, which received concern from Yield Guild Games. Merit Circle DAO decided that Yield Guild Game’s archetypal concern should beryllium returned owed to a deficiency of value.

Yield Guild Games invested successful Merit Circle Ltd, not Merit Circle DAO, truthful the ineligible implications of the determination are murky. If Merit Circle DAO has the ineligible close to negociate the funds invested by Yield Guild Games, past determination is simply a furniture of separation that could enactment Yield Guild Games’ superior astatine risk. Merit Circle DAO did not ballot to revoke Yield Guild Games’ concern but returned the concern astatine its archetypal value.

It is improbable that a ineligible precedent has been acceptable to specify the ineligible narration betwixt a DAO and its founding company’s contractual obligations. The uncertain ineligible scenery and the anticipation of a lengthy ineligible conflict apt factored into the determination to settle. In the forum post for MIP-14, Merit Circle Ltd stated, “both parties person fixed it their each to enactment things retired successful a affable but nonrecreational way.”

It appears that Merit Circle Ltd and Merit Circle DAO were not wholly aligned, astatine slightest publically. Merit Circle Ltd claims that

“It is wide determination needs to beryllium a much wide alignment betwixt the implicit powerfulness of the DAO and the agreements it makes successful the past, contiguous and future.”

It is imaginable that DAO members wrong Merit Circle Ltd did not recognize the implications of MIP-13 arsenic it commented erstwhile it passed, “what whitethorn look beneficial for an enactment astatine archetypal glimpse tin bring superior adverse effects successful the long-run.”

The Joint Statement

On June 14, 2021, immoderate 16 days aft MIP-13 passed, Merit Circle Ltd and Yield Guild Games issued a joint statement  adding worth beyond fiscal enactment “was not a request of the archetypal SAFT that was signed by Merit Circle Ltd and Yield Guild Games.” It further states, “Yield Guild Games added worth successful galore antithetic ways though they were not often called upon to bash so.”

The connection acknowledges the “danger a precedent similar this could acceptable for the Merit Circle DAO and the manufacture arsenic a full if agreements are not upheld, and investors are not respected.” It besides outlines 5 halfway contributions Yield Guild Games made to Merit Circle since its investment. The contributions allegedly impact enactment successful raising further funds, utilizing the YGG brand, offering further funds, and manufacture advice.

Legal Implications

Yield Guild Games volition beryllium compensated astatine a terms of $0.32, and immoderate “formal narration betwixt the Merit Circle DAO and Yield Guild Games” volition beryllium terminated. Whether this ceremonial narration legally existed is the taxable of the full debate. However, adding this clause closes the doorway to aboriginal imaginable litigation.

While this incidental did not extremity successful court, it highlights a imaginable information for investors concerning DAO-based projects. Would Yield Guild Games person won successful court? We’ll ne'er know, but possibly we’ll present spot much DAOs trial the boundaries of this unusual caller integer world.

The station DAO votes to springiness $5M effect wealth backmost to YGG openly breaking contract appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.

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