The murky waters of intellectual property in the blockchain space are proverbial, particularly in relation to the volatile memecoin market. One of the most recent examples is the legal battle between Mark Longo, the creator of the “Peanut the Squirrel” meme, and Binance over intellectual property rights. In cryptocurrency, IP rights can be a minefield. There are trade secrets that protect proprietary information, including trademarks, patents for technology, and copyrights for original content. However, enforcing these protections can be challenging, as many crypto projects operate in a gray area outside traditional regulatory frameworks.
The centerpiece of Pepe lore
Disputes over IP can affect a project’s credibility, with unauthorized use of brands or images leading to court battles. Legal disputes attract negative attention, adversely impacting market value and eroding trust. The $ZEUS token, launched on May 21, is a breath of fresh air against this backdrop. Its creators hold full IP rights to Zeus, the dog inspired by Matt Furie’s Boy’s Club comics. Unlike $PEPE, $WOLF, $BRETT, and other Matt Furie-related tokens, $ZEUS is based on the deep-cut character Pepe’s Dog, the centerpiece of Pepe lore. He’s the swamp’s secret guardian and silent protector, finally emerging from the shadows.
The project features original Zeus artwork created by ND Haus, who is actively involved as a member of the core team . Another core team member is Jon “Jagged” Eyrick, who owns the actual dog and previously held the IP rights. The creators of $ZEUS secured the original Zeus NFT as proof of artistic and legal ownership. NFTs intersect with IP rights, particularly copyrights, and can be used as proof of artwork ownership. If you really look closely at the paper trail leading back to Matt Furie, he publicly follows Zeus’ team member “Jagged,” adding credibility to the project and helping $ZEUS stand out in a sea of low-effort memecoins and hype-driven tokens.
A valuable piece of meme history
The $ZEUS token is deeply rooted in meme culture and supported by loyal meme pioneers and supporters. Its creators have taken the steps to definitively prove that ND Haus produced the original sketches of Zeus, sharing photographs from her sister, as well as a video call between ND Haus, “Jagged,” and his dog Zeus. It’s the only endorsed Furie-related project besides $PEPE, which involved neither the original Zeus artist nor the IP owner. $ZEUS did not avail itself of venture capital, but its market cap has increased from $50,000 to over $24.6 million since its launch.
The community project grew organically without financial backing, which is often the case for successful memecoins like $SHIB, $PEPE, and $FLOKI. The smart contract ends in ccc8, a meme-marketing angle used successfully in the past. Effective June 6, Zeus CC8 INC received trademark protection, obtaining full IP rights over the Zeus name and visual identity. The corporate structure was updated accordingly and approved by the artist and IP owner “Jagged,” who officially transferred all IP rights to the company. Despite the due diligence from the Zeus team, the project still encountered attempted infringement with cheap replications of its art. With clear ownership rights, Zeus took legal action to protect its IP and creative assets.
The trademark registration invalidates any similar filings that may be submitted moving forward, and Zeus can now expand across markets with toy lines, merchandise, or animated content. $ZEUS is one token that will never come up in disputes over ownership when memecoins are traded online. Fueling some of these disputes are “warnings” like that issued by Mishaboar, who is well-known among members of the Dogecoin community. He focuses on the potential risks associated with memecoins that assert IP ownership, arguing that memes are uncontainable and decentralized and, as such, cannot be owned by anyone. This view is unfounded as the issue of IP rights to a valuable asset invariably arises.
The future of $ZEUS
The company plans a series of initiatives, such as flying ND Haus to meet Zeus, a mini-documentary, a lore-based dApp, toys, and merchandise, all culminating in a push to list $ZEUS on centralized exchanges. ND Haus is working on a limited-edition Zeus comic series with lore, adventures, and origin stories in collaboration with some of her favorite artists, to be released in Q3 2025. The first 10,000 holders will receive exclusive NFTs connected to the story chapters. The platform is also planning a DAO launch in Q4 2025 led by ND Haus, which will support meme-native and underground artists so memecoins can find quality, authentic art.
The dog spent enough time watching from the shadows while frogs hogged the limelight. $ZEUS is more than just another memecoin; it’s a return to meme roots, and proof of ownership becomes a valuable part of memecoin history.
