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Hermès seeks complete control of MetaBirkin NFTs and royalties
If you thought the legal battle between Hermès and Mason Rothschild’s MetaBirkins NFTs was over, you’re wrong! Despite settling the NFT trademark lawsuit, Hermès is now asking Rothschild to abandon the entire project, including smart contracts and the social media NFT community. The project founder reportedly said that this request is “a gross overreaction” when the case is reopened.
Why is Hermès after the MetaBirkin NFTs?
Iconic luxury fashion brand Hermès is making headlines among NFT collectors regarding the MetaBirkin collection once again. In case you’re new to the drama, here’s a quick recap: earlier this year, an international SA artist named Mason Rothschild launched the MetaBirkin, a collection of 100 NFT bags that resemble the physical Hermès Birkin models.
When Hermès noticed the NFT project, they filed a lawsuit against Rothschild, accusing him of infringing the company’s rights to their “Birkin” trademark. The case was settled a month ago, and Hermès received $133,000 in damages.
What does the luxury brand want next?
Just when things seemed settled, however, Hermès came back with a new request. Now the company wants Mason Rothschild out of the MetaBirkin project: the trade, promotion and distribution of NFTs should all be banned, says the fashion brand. In other words, Hermès is now asking Rothschild to transfer everything related to MetaBirkins to them.
Apparently, the luxury brand is willing to go all the way to make this happen. The group issued a court order in the Southern District of New York detailing their request.
Rothschild and his legal team quickly responded to the allegations. “It’s a gross abuse by Hermès and an attempt to punish Rothschild because they don’t like his art,” said the artist’s attorney Rhett Millsaps.
What are MetaBirkins?
In short, MetaBirkins is a collection of 100 limited edition NFTs of Hermès-inspired handbags. Its founding artist Mason Rothschild launched the digital artifacts in December 2021.
This unique project came after the successful 1:1 release titled “Baby Birkin.” That collectible was a digital replica of a physical Hermès Birkin bag with a baby growing inside. Surprisingly, the collectible was a roaring success, selling for a whopping $23,500 – way more than the physical bag’s $9,500 price tag.
At the time of writing, the MetaBirkins NFT collection has a floor price of 3.5 ETH on the LooksRare market.
