DAO gets the rights to the image behind the Doge meme

Own The Doge, the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) behind the Dogecoin (DOGE) token has announced that it has acquired the legal rights to the image associated with the Shiba Inu meme.

Speaking to Cointelegraph on April 17, John Monarch and ‘Tridog', the leaders of the Doge project, sat down with Sato Atsuko, the wife of the 18-year-old Shiba Inu kabosu, who became famous for her confused expression on a couch. The group has purchased exclusive licenses and rights to Doge's image, which appears to give them control over merchandise and other meme uses in the crypto space.

“I think [the deal] “It opens up a lot for corporations where there is confusion around copyright,” Tridog said.

According to Own The Doge, with more transparency around the copyright of the Dodge image – which for years seemed to be free – there have been opportunities for partnerships with bigger brands. The project said they met with Sato about three years ago and were able to negotiate an agreement to buy the rights to Kabusu's image in collaboration with lawyers in Japan and the United States.

Working with Sato and others, the project has previously released a documentary documenting Doge's history and image evolution in and out of the crypto space. According to Tridog, the group was not seeking to ‘enforce' its copyright claims against users and specific brands.

“We want to unite the entire Doge community,” said the monarch. “We feel like Dogecoin and many others like NFT. [nonfungible token] The flip side of things, and people in the world of memes and Reddit, are always different. […] It's just bringing the tracks together under one cultural umbrella.”

Related: Coinbase Says ‘Crossed' Meme Origins to Launch DOGE Futures

The basis for the image of Doge In 2010, Sato Kabosu was sitting on a yellow sofa in her Japanese home when she took a casual photo. Monarch claimed to be the first person to use the word ‘Doge' on social media, eventually leading to more memes, the Dogecoin token and various crypto-themed merchandise.

Tridog said the purchase of the licensing rights may not affect the Dogecoin Foundation or its use of the image in the next meme token. Kabosu will celebrate her 19th birthday on November 2 with a special celebration in Japan. Even though she is old for a dog, she does some things for him: The world's oldest Shiba Inu has lived for over 26 years.

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