Popular Solana meme coin launchpad Pump.fun has been hit with a cease and desist letter from law firms who claim tokens on the platform are using their logos and names.
Burwick Law, a US-based law firm, said in a Feb. 5 X post that it and another firm by the name of Wolf Popper sent through a cease and desist letter to Pump.fun. In the document, the firms demanded the “immediate removal” of Dog Shit Going No Where (DOGSHIT2) and other tokens that the firm claimed are “impersonating” them through the unlicensed use of intellectual property.
In the statement on the social media platform X, the firms said that they have “no affiliation, endorsement, or ownership interest in the Dogshit2 token or any other related assets,” and that neither of the law firms have launched any meme coin.
Meme coins weaponized against lawsuits
According to Burwick Law Managing Partner Max Burwick, the wave of infringing tokens began when the firms filed a class-action lawsuit against Pump.fun earlier this year on Jan. 30. Burwick claims the meme coin platform has since allowed the creation of tokens spoofing both firms’ brands, making it a hotbed for intellectual property (IP) infringement and intimidation tactics.
The cease and desist letter also alleges that Pump.fun allowed third-party actors to start meme tokens targeted at threatening plaintiffs and interfering with court proceedings.
One of the main concerns mentioned in the cease and desist letter is that Pump.fun possesses the technological ability to remove these tokens the firms claim are using their IP but has decided not to act.
Despite the clear financial and legal risks presented by these unlicensed tokens, the platform has yet to reply publicly and respond to the lawsuit. Baton Corporation, the UK-based company reportedly behind Pump.fun, has not released any official statement.
Pump.fun’s popularity surges despite growing controversy
The lawsuit from Burwick Law and Wolf Popper is not the first legal challenge Pump.fun has to face. Diego Aguilar filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Pump.fun on Jan. 30 in the Southern District of New York (SDNY), and alleged that the platform used guerilla marketing to generate artificial hype for “highly volatile” meme coins, accruing nearly $500 million in fees in the process.
Despite escalating legal issues, Pump.fun’s trade volume has increased rapidly in the last few days. The platform just reached its all-time high of $3.3 billion in weekly trade volume, owing to the debut of Trump family meme coins Official Trump (TRUMP) and Official Melania Meme (MELANIA).
As regulatory attention grows, Pump.fun’s legal issues may represent a significant risk to its future operations.
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