Chillguy Creator Threatens Legal Action as Crypto Trenches Scour TikTok

• Phillip Banks, the creator of the "Chill Guy" meme, said he's copyrighted the character and plans to issue takedown notices for any for-profit use.
• Notable figures in the crypto community responded by humorously suggesting Banks accepts tokens or money through a Solana address.
• The CHILLGUY token's popularity was supposedly fueled by its viral spread on TikTok, where even non-crypto users were discussing how to buy it, leading to a speculative trend of searching for new viral tokens on social media.

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Phillip Banks, the meme’s creator, is threatening to issue takedown notices for profit-related assets or applications using the character he created as a spoof meme token that went viral on Crypto Twitter.

“Chill guy has been copyrighted. like, legally. I'll be issuing takedowns on for-profit related things over the next few days,” Banks said on X. “not like brand accounts using him as a trend, that's kinda something i dont really care about (i do just ask for credit. or xboxes.). mainly unauthorized merchandise and shitcoins.”

Banks’ legal threats turned down the heat on the CHILLGUY token, whose creator is unkown. It is almost 50% below its Wednesday peak, with the decline strengthened by profit-taking.

Notable Crypto Twitter traders, meanwhile, are asking Banks to post a Solana address for receiving money or tokens — in the hopes of keeping the fun going. It's not clear whom Banks plans to target.

The meme took Crypto Twitter by storm this week as the parody Solana-based CHILLGUY token rocketed more than 1,000% in a single day, notching up a $500 million market capitalization at Wednesday's peak.

Chillguy portrays a character unfazed by life's challenges. It has attracted interest from brands to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, boosting narratives around the token.

Early backers claimed the memecoin went viral on video content network TikTok, where “normies” — or the general public that doesn’t hold crypto — were supposedly making videos on how to buy the token and how it was on track for higher gains ahead.

That spurred an entire narrative of scouring TikTok for new crypto picks, with speculators hoping to find tokens going viral among normies for short-term trading.

Such memecoins often rise rapidly due to speculation, community hype and social media trends. They are, however, also extremely volatile, with prices driven more by sentiment and marketing than a strong community.

These trends often don't last long. They can peak quickly due to hype but are prone to rapid declines once the excitement wanes. New memes constantly emerge, diverting attention and investment — leaving investors who bought into the narrative with near-worthless bags.

Edited by Sheldon Reback.