According to board member Jens Wiechers, the foundation took measures to prevent “attempts by people wholly associated with Dogecoin to register” the names for the purposes of fraud and extortion.
On Wednesday, the Dogecoin Foundation announced on Twitter that it had registered the trademarks “Doge,” “Dogecoin,” and their associated emblems in the European Union. The certificate in question was dated January 13, 2022, according to the tweet.
“The issue isn’t (and has never been) use in memes, etc,” said Foundation executive board member Jens Wiechers in the tweet thread. “The issue is attempts by people completely unaffiliated with Dogecoin to register them, which only really makes sense if they want to then extort either the community or the Dogecoin project, devs, foundation, etc. directly.”
📣Much success.🎉
It's a small victory that seems so very irrelevant given all that's currently happening in the world, but it's an important step.Thank you @DACBeachcroft (& for this: @PageWhite_IP Germany), as well as @MosesSingerLLP for their representation in the USA. ♥️ 1/ pic.twitter.com/nufaJLUSFG
— Dogecoin Foundation (@DogecoinFdn) March 2, 2022
The Dogecoin Organization has had various challenges with the usage of its name and graphics since its rebirth in August, owing to the fact that the foundation did not seek trademark protection when it was founded in 2014. As of September, the Dogecoin Foundation’s trademark application at the United States Patent and Trademark Office was competing with “half a dozen” others, and “at least 100” cryptocurrencies not affiliated with the Dogecoin Foundation were utilizing the Dogecoin moniker.
Another apparent result of the disagreement over the cryptocurrency’s name is Ross Nicoll’s resignation as a foundation director. Nicoll announced his decision on his blog on Feb. 16, writing that the foundation is “working in a very hard climate” with “intense stress.”
“A number of parties were registering trademarks for Dogecoin,” Nicoll says, and “there was a prospective lawsuit against the developers in the summer of 2021 from someone who claimed we were accountable for their cash.”
Nicoll also alluded to a potential conflict of interest with his day job at Alphabet as a software developer. He is still an adviser at the foundation. Nicoll informed core members of his plans about a year ago, according to the Dogecoin Foundation, and “has been helpful in the re-establishment of the Dogecoin Foundation” with his departure in mind.
Disclaimer: These are the writer’s opinions and should not be considered investment advice. Readers should do their own research.
