30s Summary

The artist behind the “Just a chill guy” meme, PhillipBankss, may pursue legal action against crypto coins using the image without permission. After the launch of a token named after the meme on the Solana network, the artist announced he had copyrighted the image. Although he permits brands to use the image as part of a trend, he won’t tolerate unauthorized use in crypto activities. Community reactions are mixed, with some suggesting he should monetize the situation with a non-fungible token (NFT), while others argue legally challenging decentralized tokens could be difficult.

Full Article

The artist behind the popular meme “Just a chill guy” has warned he might take legal action against meme coins that are using the image without his consent.

On November 15th, a token named Just a chill guy (CHILLGUY) was launched on the Solana network. It quickly gained traction, with its market cap reaching a whopping $580 million at one point. As of now, the coin is trading at $0.4, which puts its market cap at $400 million.

However, the artist, who disagrees with his artwork being used for crypto-related activities, is thinking of taking legal action against the coins that use his artwork.

On November 21, the artist, who goes by the name PhillipBankss on the X platform, announced that he had copyrighted the Chill Guy meme. He added that he will be issuing takedowns for any for-profit uses of the meme.

PhillipBankss also made it clear that he doesn’t mind brands using the character to ride the trend, but he will not tolerate “unauthorized merchandise and shitcoins.” He also stated that he does not endorse or agree with his art being used in crypto.

Responses to PhillipBankss’s threats were mixed. Some community members doubt that the artist will be successful in legally challenging something that’s based on blockchain technology. According to them, taking legal action against anonymously-launched, decentralized tokens could be “nearly impossible.” Other community members think the artist should cash in on the situation and create a non-fungible token (NFT), leveraging the opportunity to make money.

Whatever the outcome, this episode serves as a reminder of the complexity and potential challenges that can arise from the intersection of art, memes, and cryptocurrency.