Coinye is a cryptocurrency that launched in 2014. It was abandoned shortly after launch, following a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Kanye West.

On January 6, 2014, Kanye West’s lawyers sent the development team a cease and desist order on the basis that the then-unreleased currency constituted trademark infringement, unfair competition, cyberpiracy and dilution.

In response to the legal threats, the development team changed the name of the currency from “Coinye West” to “Coinye” and moved to a new domain name.

By January 10, 2014, the development team stated that they had removed all references to West but instead “to a half-man-half-fish hybrid,” a nod to a South Park episode in which West fails to realize why people are jokingly calling him a “gay fish.”

These actions were not sufficient to appease West’s legal team and a lawsuit was filed against the creators of the coin, prompting them to sell their Coinye holdings and leave the project. (
Wikipedia
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Coinye as a cryptocurrency has since stagnated. Development of the coin is dead but it’s still tradeable.

Now, through the website “coinyecoins.com”, someone is trying to attach an MLM opportunity to Coinye.

The Coinye Coins website appears to be modeled on existing marketing literature for Coinye. The website lists Robin Clayton as CEO of the company, alongside of a photo of deceased actor Robin Williams.

Similarly the photo provided for COO Clive Bruce, is actually that of Bruce Berkowitz, an equity fund manager and registered investment adviser.

Needless to say it’s highly likely that neither Robin Clayton or Clive Bruce, as represented on the Coinye Coins website, actually exist.

The CoinyeCoins website domain meanwhile was registered on the 25th of December, 2015. The registration appears to be bogus, listing “COINYEYE” of “COINYECOINS” as the owner. An incomplete address in Thailand is also provided.

This conflicts with the Coinye Coins website and compensation plan material, which provide an address for “Coinye Digitial Inc.” in Malta.

Further research reveals Coinye Coins Malta address actually belongs to Fairwinds Management Limited.

Fairwinds Management provides cost-effective and efficient company incorporation services in Malta.

The minimum share capital required to set up a company in Malta is €1,165. The share capital does not need to be paid in full, however a minimum of 20% needs to be paid up.

This suggests Coinye Coins exists in Malta in name only.

A source of further confusion is the Coinye Coins “User Agreement”, which starts off with “Welcome, and thanks for using coinye.co”.

Coinye.co appears to be the source for most of the information on the Coinye Coins website.

The Coinye.co domain was registered on November 21st, 2015. Anil Shah of Alibag Webhosting is listed as the owner, with an address in Maharashtra, India also provided.

As always, if an MLM company is not openly upfront about who is running or owns it, think long and hard about joining

🤖 Quick Answer

What is Coinye cryptocurrency?
Coinye is a digital currency launched in January 2014. Originally named "Coinye West," it was quickly abandoned following a cease-and-desist order from Kanye West's legal team. The developers rebranded to "Coinye" and modified branding to reference South Park imagery, attempting to circumvent trademark infringement claims before the project's eventual discontinuation.

Why did Kanye West take legal action against Coinye?
Kanye West's legal team issued a cease-and-desist order on January 6, 2014, alleging that the cryptocurrency's original name constituted trademark infringement, unfair competition, cyberpiracy, and dilution of his personal brand and intellectual property rights.

How did the development team respond to legal threats?
The development team changed the currency's name from "Coinye West" to "

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