Vincent Van Dough Controversy | NFT CULTURE | Web3 Culture NFTs and Crypto Art
Controversy erupts in the NFT world as notable Pepe collection faces DMCA takedown
Last night, the world of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) was rocked by another controversy when 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 artwork created by artist Dangiuz and part of Vincent Van Dough’s (VVD) collection, was previously traded for several ETH.
The Notable Pepes collection features art from various 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 from his work.
In a statement, Winkelmann said he believed Dangiuz “may have learned something” during the final run-in. He also claimed that Vincent Van Dough and Dangiuz blackmailed him during the Notable Pepe drop, stating that “all they’re looking for is other people’s backs to make money off of.” The full details of the DMCA complaint have not been released, and it is not yet clear how this will affect 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, but they still sold for over 20 ETH. And in a separate incident, VVD created his own “Moonbirds” collection after another artist’s collection was removed from OpenSea. This collection had previously been removed by OpenSea, but has since been relisted.
🪑 pic.twitter.com/KhTBXEdgqK
— pepe (@pepe) 28 February 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 about the true value of digital art. As the Notable Pepes controversy shows, these issues are far from settled.
What does all this mean for the NFT market? Only time will tell, but it’s clear that the world of digital art is just as full of 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.
