Originally published on: November 21, 2024
The viral meme featuring the iconic “Just a chill guy” character has captured the attention of the crypto community, but not everyone is pleased with its newfound popularity. The artist behind the original artwork has issued a warning, threatening legal action against memecoins that use the image without permission.
Recently, the Just a chill guy (CHILLGUY) token made its debut on the Solana network and quickly gained traction, boasting a market capitalization of $580 million at one point. Despite its success, the artist known as PhillipBankss expressed disapproval of the meme’s crypto-related associations and vowed to protect his intellectual property rights.
In a post on X, PhillipBankss revealed that he holds the copyright to the “Chill Guy” character and intends to take down any unauthorized use of his creation for profit. While he acknowledged that some brands may capitalize on the trend, he made it clear that he would not tolerate “unauthorized merchandise and shitcoins” infringing on his work.
Although PhillipBankss’ stance has garnered mixed reactions from the community, with some questioning the feasibility of pursuing legal action against decentralized tokens, others have offered alternative suggestions. Some users suggested that the artist could explore opportunities to monetize his art through non-fungible token (NFT) auctions, potentially benefiting from the meme’s popularity.
While the debate rages on, one thing is certain: the “Chill Guy” meme and its associated tokens have left an indelible mark on the blockchain, highlighting the complexities of intellectual property rights in the crypto space. As the saga continues to unfold, the community awaits to see how PhillipBankss’ ultimatum will impact the future of the meme economy.
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