Two U.S. law firms, Burwick Law and Wolf Popper, have issued a cease and desist letter to Solana-based memecoin platform Pump.fun, demanding the immediate removal of over 200 tokens that allegedly misuse their intellectual property. The firms claim these tokens spoof their names, logos, and even impersonate their employees and clients involved in a lawsuit against the platform.
Cease and Desist Over Unlicensed Use of IP
On February 5, Burwick Law announced on X (formerly Twitter) that it, along with Wolf Popper, is demanding Pump.fun take down tokens like Dog Shit Going NoWhere (DOGSHIT2), which allegedly use their logos and names without permission. Max Burwick, Managing Partner of Burwick Law, told that since filing a class action lawsuit against Pump.fun the previous week, the platform has hosted over 200 tokens infringing on the intellectual property of the firms and their co-counsels.
Pump.fun users reportedly created tokens mimicking the names and logos of both law firms in various forms. Some tokens even use the names and likenesses of Burwick Law employees and plaintiffs involved in the ongoing lawsuit. According to Burwick Law, Pump.fun has the technical capability to remove these tokens but has chosen not to, despite the financial and legal risks posed to the public.
Allegations of Intimidation and Legal Violations
The cease and desist letter further accuses Pump.fun of collaborating with third parties to launch tokens intended to intimidate clients and disrupt ongoing litigation. The law firm stated, “These efforts include creating memecoins that impersonate our plaintiffs, representing the misuse of blockchain technologies to undermine justice and due process.”
Amid speculation, Max Burwick denied any involvement in creating or deploying the controversial DOGSHIT2 token. He explained that the token initially existed off-chain as server data and only became an active token when Pump.fun deployed it on-chain after a first purchase.
Details of the Lawsuit Against Pump.fun
On January 30, Burwick Law and Wolf Popper filed a proposed class-action lawsuit on behalf of investors, alleging that Pump.fun facilitated the creation of unregistered securities, generating nearly $500 million in fees. The suit, filed by Diego Aguilar in a New York federal court, claims Pump.fun, reportedly operated by the UK-based Baton Corporation, used aggressive marketing tactics to promote highly volatile tokens. This, in turn, led to significant financial losses for retail investors.
The lawsuit accuses Pump.fun of violating the Securities Act and seeks rescission of all token purchases, monetary damages for affected investors, and coverage of litigation costs.
Despite the legal challenges, Pump.fun recently experienced a surge in activity, recording a record $3.3 billion in weekly trading volume following the launch of memecoins related to the Trump family.
