Mark Longo, popularly often called Squirrel Dad, has taken authorized motion towards Binance for what he describes as unauthorized use of his mental property, together with photographs and logos tied to Peanut the Squirrel.
The animal in query, stylized as “P’Nut,” was a male japanese gray squirrel rescued by Longo in 2017. It turned an web sensation via a preferred Instagram account, “P.NUT Sanctuary,” which chronicled its antics.
Nevertheless, the creature’s story turned tragic when, on October 30, 2024, the New York State Division of Environmental Conservation seized it from Longo’s residence and euthanized it after testing for rabies.
Allegations Towards Binance
In his letter to Binance, shared in a December 16 post on X, Longo accused Binance of utilizing PNUT branding for cryptocurrency-related providers with out his specific permission.
The animal rights advocate mentioned the crypto change had unlawfully exploited the “Peanut the Squirrel” trademark, PNUT logos, and related imagery, which he has owned since he first rescued the animal. Longo is demanding that Binance cease this infringement, verify compliance by December 17, and conform to commit no additional violations sooner or later.
He claimed that such actions led the change’s clients to mistakenly affiliate PNUT-branded meme cash bought on the platform along with his conservation initiatives.
If Binance fails to conform, Longo reserves the proper to hunt authorized cures, together with claims for damages beneath the U.S. Copyright Act, which supplies penalties of as much as $150,000 for wilful infringement. The change had not but responded to the cease-and-desist on the time of writing.
Peanut-Themed Meme Tokens Undergo Totally different Fates
Longo beforehand launched the Justice for Pnut and Fred (JUSTICE) token on Pump.enjoyable after criticizing the crypto neighborhood for making the most of his trauma by creating the Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT) coin quickly after the favored rodent’s demise.
Whereas PNUT’s general price skyrocketed to greater than $1 billion when Binance listed it alongside a number of different meme cash, JUSTICE ended up shedding greater than 99% of its $53.8 million market cap days after its introduction amid claims of great promoting strain.
At present, the coin is up 34%, with a valuation of $373,026 per CoinGecko. Then again, PNUT recorded a 4.1% dip within the final 24 hours, however its market cap remains to be above $1 billion.
One other coin launched by Longo quickly after the JUSTICE debacle, dubbed Justice for Peanut (JFP), additionally suffered an identical destiny to its predecessor, shedding 67% of its value hours after going dwell. Whereas its value is almost 70% under its all-time excessive of $0.001705, achieved on December 13, 2024, the full worth of its circulating provide stands at a way more respectable $2.2 million.
Binance Free $600 (CryptoPotato Unique): Use this link to register a brand new account and obtain $600 unique welcome provide on Binance (full details).
LIMITED OFFER for CryptoPotato readers at Bybit: Use this link to register and open a $500 FREE place on any coin!