Thread by @aantonop

Let's talk about this scummy company @CoinDeFi

Let's discuss the appropriation of public goods from the creative commons of an open source industry.

Let's discuss bullying individuals to try to stake ground they don't and can't own.

https://twitter.com/CoinDeFi/status/1341880346057576448

This company didn't invent the name "COIN" (obviously) or its use as a token name.

AFAIK they didn't invent the term DeFi.

They're happy to appropriate both to use in their name, taking from the creative commons.

Their business is based on atomic swaps (didn't invent it)
to swap coins like BTC (didn't invent it), ETH (didn't invent it) ERC20 (didn't invent it).

They happily used all those things others invented to build their business.

They run a DEX (didn't invent it), based on P2P technology (didn't invent it) with extensions running in open source browsers (didn't invent those)

Their infrastructure runs on top of hundreds of libraries, protocols, clients, and operating systems that they... didn't invent.

They took from open source software, open licensed systems, creative commons, and open protocols. They took and took and took and took.

In the end, they took a name that is as generic as it gets.

and then they put a flag in it and said: WE OWN THIS

It's not even an original contribution. It's as generic as it gets. In a business entirely built on top of the original inventions of others, freely gifted to the common.

Then they turn around and try to claim their utterly generic name, trademarked in obvious bad faith and they send threatening letters to an artist.

Allow me to say, on behalf of the entire open source industry that you are leeching off:

FUCK YOU

What this should tell you is that they are scammers. They are soulless exploiters without any ethics. They are happy to appropriate public goods and then use their money and their lawyers to threaten so they can solidify their dodgy claim.

Also for their lawyers:

FUCK YOU

Bottom feeding scum like you enabling disgusting business practices in an open source industry built on the creative production of others. You are disgusting leeches.

Any lawyers who want to take on these scum?

Invalidate this ridiculous trademark on genericization grounds and send them back to the hole they crawled out of

I'll lead the defence fund for @coin_artist
Anyone who wants to pitch in financially or with legal support DM me.

I despise bullies.

@coin_artist Even if this stops right now, these kinds of things can generate $tens of thousands in legal costs in a matter of days, just to figure out if the threatening letter is valid and what to do in response. Money that an artist doesn't have.

Standby, funding will be starting soon...

@coin_artist @coin_artist has a GoFundMe fundraiser for the legal costs.

Any money raised that isn't used in this legal issue will be going to the EFF

gofundme.com/f/coin-artist-…

It's really funny that CoinDefi is pretending like this is a reasonable ask.

Their ticker symbol is indistinguishable from others because they picked an incredibly generic name they didn't have any basis to own and tried to own it - The market is unable to identify it as theirs

They phoned in their brand development with the most ridiculously "vanilla" name and then tried to use the legal system to make it stick.

They're now crying that they are being unfairly portrayed as bullies.

I stand corrected:

LAZY BULLIES LACKING IMAGINATION

better?

"I'm the REAL John Smith, these others are all impersonating me. CEASE AND DESIST"

"It's on the birth certificate and I have an original copy! It is quite distinct from my father John Smith Sr, and my 6 brothers John, Johnny, Jon,John Jr, John II and JonJon"

My parents were INSPIRED by the SIMPLICITY of the name.