New logo slated for Yuga’s dog-themed NFT collection The logo for the Bored Ape Kennel Club (BAKC) from nonfungible token (NFT) conglomerate Yuga Labs is getting a refresh after recently surfaced allegations of intellectual property theft. Yuga co-founder, Greg Solano, more widely known as “Garga” tweeted on Feb. 18 that the BAKC logo would be changing and the project would “debut the new logo soon.” Saw the claims today about the BAKC logo. This was news to us and we're still investigating the situation. Have reached out to the freelancer we hired for that design and Easy Drawing Guides. We’ll …

The iconic wolf skull logo of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), Yuga Labs’ premier nonfungible tokens (NFTs) collections, was allegedly illegally trademarked without proper licenses. The image was originally released by a company specializing in drawing tutorials for children and beginners. NFTs were introduced to the world to help solve the illegal use of intellectual properties and protect artists — the very problem Yuga Labs has been accused of doing. Crypto Twitter member and NFT artist @Jdotcolombo came across a post from April 5, 2021, in which Easy Drawing Guides advertised “an easy step-by-step drawing tutorial” for a wolf skull. …

On this week’s episode of NFT Steez, co-hosts Alyssa Expósito and Ray Salmond continue their chat with Justin and J.P. Alanis, the co-founders of StoryCo — an open media platform — on the prospect of a community of creators franchising intellectual property (IP) through collaboration and soulbound tokens. Speaking on his experience with musician Tyler the Creator, J.P. Alanis said that content creation is not limited to one particular creator, but should be open to all types, including fans. However, despite the symbiotic nature between fans and creators, there are still barriers to incentivizing the creators and navigating the bureaucratic …

What captivates many creators in the realm of blockchain and Web3 is the possibility to create, own and earn without intermediaries, and nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have emerged as a catalyst in how it could be possible. On this week’s episode of NFT Steez, co-hosts Alyssa Expósito and Ray Salmond chat with Justin and J.P. Alanis, the co-founders of StoryCo — an open media platform — on the prospect of creators co-creating and franchising intellectual property through their storytelling and the integration of soulbound tokens — but how? Create-to-own and fandom trends emerging in Web3 As creators themselves, the Alanis brothers …

On Feb 8, a jury trial in the Southern District of New York reached a verdict in Hermès' lawsuit against MetaBirkins. The court ruled that artist Mason Rothschild had violated the trademark protections of the brand Hermès. Rothschild's 100 "Metabirkins" NFTs were found to not be artistic commentary and therefore not protected by the First Amendment of the US Constitution. According to a report by Vogue Business, a nine-member jury found Rothschild liable for trademark infringement, trademark dilution, and "cybersquatting," awarding Hermès $133,000 in damages. Notably, the decision marks the first time the relationship between digital art, NFTs, and physical …

Sovereign identity has been a hot topic in blockchain and cryptocurrency, especially with the rise of the creator economy. Currently, there are two types of digital identities. One is federated and centralized whereby data is in the control of the service provider. Self-sovereign digital identity is often cited as a human right that can reclaim agency using blockchain technology, but what frameworks exist that aid in governing it? On this episode of NFT Steez met Marjorie Hernandez, the co-founder of LUKSO and The Dematerialized to discuss the state of blockchain-based identities and “Universal Profiles.” According to Hernandez, in the future, …

What are the future possibilities with CC0 NFTs? The world of NFTs is in its infancy. As artists and creators explore ways to create and monetize their content, products and platforms are emerging to offer frameworks for creators to operate and build their brands, and monetize them. It is still the early days for the nonfungible token world. The last couple of years have seen an economic model emerge for artists and creators. With every new business model, there needs to be new distribution strategies that emerge. NFTs have shown how brands can be monetized. However, relying on a small …