Tensions spilled over today as the argument between doge variants over the right to be “the one true doge” reached its climax.
Baby Doge has seemingly made moves to bully other doge variants out of existence, through a variety of questionable tactics, in order to monopolize the doge world. The scandal has reached new levels with attempted trademarks being claimed on the doge name, false Twitter suspensions, heated AMAs, and somewhat shady moves from one side in particular.
What’s Going on in the Doge World?
The cryptocurrency world has seen an increase in new projects over recent months. Due to the popularity and attention given to the most famous meme coin - Dogecoin - there have been numerous doge-themed tokens using the famous name.
The current landscape of doge variants sees the following players:
- Nano Dogecoin
- Daddy Doge
- Banker Doge
- Mommy Doge Coin
- Baby Doge
And there are hundreds more out there. However, it is these five doge-themed tokens in particular that are now battling for not only market dominance, but also their fair share of the Doge name.
The Sith - aka Baby Doge
On one side of the battle is the lone Baby Doge, who is making the claim that they are the only doge-themed token allowed to exist, and is using some questionably dishonest behavior in an attempt to eliminate the competition.
Let’s get this straight. A copy of doge is now calling the shots as to who can and cannot copy Doge?
Only in crypto.
The Jedi - aka NanoDogecoin and The Rest of The Doge Gang
The other side, led by Nano Dogecoin, has formed an alliance with the Daddy Dogecoin, Mommy Dogecoin, and Banker Doge communities, in order to defend their right to also use the Doge name, a right they have every reason to hold.
The four projects decided that a united front would be more effective in restoring their community presence and defending against the tirade of unjustified attacks, forming the #DOGETOGETHERSTRONG movement.
Why The Doge Wars Kicked Off
The alliance of Doge tokens, led by Nano Dogecoin, is making a bold claim against Baby Doge.
It is apparent that they have a strong case, identifying that some dishonest and perhaps illegal tactics have been at play from the other side. On Sept 12th, the Nano Dogecoin Twitter account was suspended for apparent impersonation, as well as their backup account soon after. A suspension that is hard to justify considering the circumstances.
The team stated they were left confused, and quickly applied to Twitter for an appeal of the decision. The appeal to have the account reinstated was swiftly denied and the community was left unsure of who, or what had caused the ban.
A Trademark on Doge?
That was until the now infamous tweet from the Baby Doge team, advising their community that they were the reason for the suspension, citing that other doge tokens were “infringing on their trademark.” A trademark that is not legally owned by Baby Doge, under any current legal jurisdiction.
As the dust settled, they found they were not the only Doge-themed project to have their account suspended, with similarly named, Daddy Dogecoin, Mommy Dogecoin, and Banker Doge also being removed from Twitter for the same reason.
The Doge Wars had begun.
The Battle Thus Far
There has been some significant back and forth claims made from both sides. One claiming dishonest and sneaky behavior, with some strong evidence to defend this claim. The other (a copy of the original Dogecoin in its own right) claiming to be the only Doge allowed in the space, while also asserting that they are justified in their underhand tactics and shady behavior.
Baby Doge unjustly feels every other project with the Doge name is imitating their work, not the original meme or the original Dogecoin token that was created in 2013. The very meme and token that Baby Doge has imitated in the first place.
AMA Backlash
As a response to the recent Twitter suspensions, an AMA hosted on the Nano Dogecoin telegram was joined by the CEO of Baby Doge Christian Campisi.
Mr. Campisi was very open during the call. Openly admitting he, and his team was behind the dishonest and shady tactics that were used to unfairly discredit the competition by falsely claiming impersonation to Twitter. The call has since gone viral and has led many Baby Doge holders to abandon ship.
For a full recap of the battle between the two sides thus far, a website has been created seemingly outlining the course of events: https://exposebabydoge.com/
Can Anyone Own The Doge Name?
The question around the legal ownership of an internet meme is always a highly contested argument and it varies from meme to meme. Doge, for example, is one of the most well-known memes in existence to date and has seen a fight for ownership many times in the past.
The happy Shiba Inu image it is known for and the name Doge, currently rests in the hands of an international clothing company “Ultra Pro International LLC.” The trademark for the Doge name was filed in 2014 and granted in 2015.
The company that holds the legal rights to the famous meme has stated publicly - “we will not be pursuing action against any other vendors, which would risk us losing it. However, in the end, that would also ensure free use for everyone.”
Censorship is Centralization
Probably the biggest irony within the whole story is the issue of censorship.
Crypto in its very nature is decentralized - meaning no one individual or entity can call the shots. The issues at hand here, although perhaps jovial at first, are hurting holders who did not sign up for a legal fall-out, nor knowing the possibility of being censored by the variant that originally laid birth to the creation of all of these projects.
When one entity, or baby doge in this case - gets to decide winners and losers within the crypto space, there are questionable ethics and regulatory arguments to be had.