Mark Longo, identified for his viral pet Peanut the Squirrel, has issued a “stop and desist” letter to Binance for the unauthorized use of his mental property.
On Dec. 16, Longo took to his X account, Squirrel_Dad, to disclose his authorized actions whereas alleging that Binance used pictures and tales tied to his animals with out permission.
The authorized motion
In his letter, Longo’s authorized group outlined their claims, accusing Binance of violating copyright legal guidelines and mental property rights.
In keeping with them, Binance promoted the PNUT token on its platform utilizing the identify “Peanut the Squirrel,” the “PNUT” branding, and even a copyrighted picture of Peanut sporting a cowboy hat. The memecoin token has a $1.08 billion market cap as of press time.
The letter said:
“As an preliminary matter, your use of the phrase PEANUT THE SQUIRREL, the time period PNUT, and the PNUT Picture is an identical to our consumer’s PNUT Marks. That’s to say, the PNUT Marks and the Infringing Marks impart the identical industrial impression, making them legally an identical.”
Longo warned that he may file a authorized motion in opposition to Binance if his rights weren’t revered.
Binance has but to reply to CryptoSlate’s request for touch upon the matter.
In the meantime, Longo hinted at additional motion to safeguard his artistic work. He emphasised that this authorized motion demonstrates his resolve to guard his mental property and maintain Binance and different infringing platforms accountable.
He wrote on X:
“That is the primary of a number of stop and desist letters to be issued. I’m dedicated to defending my artistic work and sending a transparent message: unauthorized use of my IP won’t be tolerated.”
PNUT tokens controversy
The lawsuit highlights the rising recognition—and conflicts—inside the peanut-themed meme coin ecosystem.
Peanut the Squirrel turned a viral sensation in the course of the US presidential election after Longo clashed with New York’s Division of Environmental Conservation (NYS DEC) over the seizure of a Peanut and a raccoon in his care. The incident sparked public outrage after the Peanut died, with many distinguished voices providing help.
This controversy impressed the creation of quite a few meme tokens, with PNUT rising as probably the most notable. The digital asset was listed on Binance final month.
Nevertheless, Longo’s current publish referenced a “Justice for Peanut” (JFP) token, which he described because the legit PNUT coin.
In the meantime, the continued dispute has influenced the token costs. In keeping with CoinMarketCap knowledge, PNUT has dropped by 5.6%, whereas JFP has seen a ten% rise prior to now 24 hours.