Kanye West has probably defeated cryptocurrency Coinye West

By Marah Eakin | July 28, 2014 | 11:01pm

Aux Features Music

Kanye West has won his lawsuit against Coinye West, the digital currency (sort of) bearing his name. Emblazoned with the rapper’s fishy likeness, Coinye West was a spin on Bitcoin, but with a slightly more pop-culture-friendly name inspired by a chatroom joke. In January, West and his lawyers filed a trademark-infringement suit against the makers of Coinye West, prompting the anonymous creators to declare their currency “dead,” saying “You win, Kanye.” The majority of those creators lost the suit simply by failing to respond to documents, though three defendants settled with West.

It’s worth noting, though, that the cryptocurrency might not actually be dead. As Hypebot notes, the judge still needs to sign off on the summary judgment against the John Doe defendants. And even if that happens, Coinye clones have already popped up, with one, CoinyeTheCoin, telling potential investors to “unfriend whoever told you… Coinye is dead.”