Controversy Erupts in the World of NFTs as Notable Pepe Collection Faces DMCA Takedown
Last night, the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) was rocked by a new controversy as a piece from the highly sought-after Notable Pepes collection was taken down due to a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice. “Pepe’s Chair,” a digital art piece created by artist Dangiuz and part of Vincent Van Dough’s (VVD) collection, was previously being traded for multiple ETH.
The Notable Pepes collection features art from various different artists, but the artist of the Pepe Chair NFT is Dangiuz. This is not Dangiuz’s first “Chair” controversy. Last year, a similar collection caused a stir when it was delayed due to similarities with the work of artist Valentin Winkelmann. Now, Winkelmann has filed the DMCA complaint against Dangiuz, claiming that he and Vincent Van Dough were trying to profit off of his work.
In a statement, Winkelmann said that he thought Dangiuz “might have learned something” during the last run-in. He also claimed that Vincent Van Dough and Dangiuz were blackmailing him during the Notable Pepe drop and stated that “all they are looking for are other’s peoples’ backs on which they can make money.” The full details of the DMCA complaint have not been released, and it’s not yet clear how this will impact the future of the Notable Pepes collection.
Vincent Van Dough has a history of courting controversy in the NFT world. In November 2021, their “Right Click Save This” piece featuring a Pepe frog drew DMCA threats from the original artists, yet still sold for over 20 ETH. And in a separate incident, VVD created their own “Moonbirds” collection after another artist’s collection was removed from OpenSea. This collection had previously been delisted by OpenSea, but has since been re-listed.
— pepe (@pepe) February 28, 2023
The NFT market has exploded in recent years, with high-profile sales and auctions grabbing headlines around the world. However, this rapid growth has also led to a number of controversies, including accusations of plagiarism, concerns about the environmental impact of NFTs, and debates over the true value of digital art. As the Notable Pepes controversy shows, these issues are far from settled.
What does this all mean for the NFT market? Only time will tell, but it’s clear that the world of digital art is as fraught with controversy and drama as any other creative field. Stay tuned for more updates as the story develops. In the meantime, the NFT community will be watching closely to see how this latest controversy plays out.