Coinye West (COINYE): The Controversial Meme Coin That Shaped Crypto Culture

5/24/2025, 9:06:50 AM
Reviewing the rise and fall of Coinye West as a pioneer of meme coins, analyzing its legal disputes and cultural insights, and gaining insight into the importance of meme coin projects in compliance and branding.

Foreword

Coinye West (COINYE) as an early meme coin launched in 2014, is the second most important meme cryptocurrency after Dogecoin. Although the project had a short lifespan, it left an undeniable cultural imprint on the history of cryptocurrency.

Origin and Development of the Project

COINYE was launched in early 2014, inspired by the popular singer Kanye West, attempting to attract market attention through the celebrity effect. The development team originally promised fair distribution, but later confirmed that about 0.37% of the tokens were reserved for development and legal expenses. Due to a trademark dispute with Kanye West, the team, under pressure, changed the name from ‘Coinye West’ to ‘Coinye’ and attempted to rebrand, but still could not escape legal prosecution in the end.

Legal disputes and project termination

Kanye West’s legal team filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against COINYE, accusing it of unfair competition and brand dilution. Despite the developers changing the name and image, the project has still failed to escape legal disputes. In January 2014, the development team announced their exit, and the official Coinye website was subsequently shut down, marking the end of this meme coin.

Cultural Influence and Enlightenment

Although Coinye West has disappeared, its birth and demise reflect the sensitivity of the cryptocurrency field to celebrity culture and meme phenomena. This event also provided valuable legal and branding experience for subsequent meme coin projects (such as Dogecoin, Shiba Inu). The story of Coinye reminds the industry that the success of meme coins depends not only on community popularity, but also on legal compliance and branding strategy.

Token Information

  • Token Name: COINYE
  • Total Supply: 1,000,000,000
  • Token address: 0x0028e1E60167b48a938B785AA5292917E7eacA8b

Summary

As an important case in the history of meme coins, Coinye West has not only witnessed the diversity and innovation of crypto culture, but also revealed the profound impact of legal and brand risks on the survival of projects. Its experience has become a valuable reference for the new generation of crypto projects.

* The information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by Gate.

Coinye West (COINYE): The Controversial Meme Coin That Shaped Crypto Culture

5/24/2025, 9:06:50 AM
Reviewing the rise and fall of Coinye West as a pioneer of meme coins, analyzing its legal disputes and cultural insights, and gaining insight into the importance of meme coin projects in compliance and branding.

Foreword

Coinye West (COINYE) as an early meme coin launched in 2014, is the second most important meme cryptocurrency after Dogecoin. Although the project had a short lifespan, it left an undeniable cultural imprint on the history of cryptocurrency.

Origin and Development of the Project

COINYE was launched in early 2014, inspired by the popular singer Kanye West, attempting to attract market attention through the celebrity effect. The development team originally promised fair distribution, but later confirmed that about 0.37% of the tokens were reserved for development and legal expenses. Due to a trademark dispute with Kanye West, the team, under pressure, changed the name from ‘Coinye West’ to ‘Coinye’ and attempted to rebrand, but still could not escape legal prosecution in the end.

Legal disputes and project termination

Kanye West’s legal team filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against COINYE, accusing it of unfair competition and brand dilution. Despite the developers changing the name and image, the project has still failed to escape legal disputes. In January 2014, the development team announced their exit, and the official Coinye website was subsequently shut down, marking the end of this meme coin.

Cultural Influence and Enlightenment

Although Coinye West has disappeared, its birth and demise reflect the sensitivity of the cryptocurrency field to celebrity culture and meme phenomena. This event also provided valuable legal and branding experience for subsequent meme coin projects (such as Dogecoin, Shiba Inu). The story of Coinye reminds the industry that the success of meme coins depends not only on community popularity, but also on legal compliance and branding strategy.

Token Information

  • Token Name: COINYE
  • Total Supply: 1,000,000,000
  • Token address: 0x0028e1E60167b48a938B785AA5292917E7eacA8b

Summary

As an important case in the history of meme coins, Coinye West has not only witnessed the diversity and innovation of crypto culture, but also revealed the profound impact of legal and brand risks on the survival of projects. Its experience has become a valuable reference for the new generation of crypto projects.

* The information is not intended to be and does not constitute financial advice or any other recommendation of any sort offered or endorsed by Gate.
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