What is the ‘Chill Guy’ meme? Meaning, origin, copyright explained #CriptoNews

• The “Chill Guy” anthropomorphic dog character appears to have debuted on social media in October 2023.
• Sporting a sweater, blue jeans and sneakers, the “Chill Guy” dog boasts a cool and calm demeanor that social media users have clung to.
• This week, a crypto token called CHILLGUY, which features the face of the popular dog character, was unveiled. On Thursday, it’s total value was more than $400 million.
• Following the viral nature of his artwork, Banks is looking to copyright “Chill Guy” to avoid brands from using the character in marketing campaigns.

A new social media meme is dominating the cryptocurrency market, but the owner of the original artwork may be putting a stop to it.

“Chill Guy” or “I’m just a chill guy” is a meme growing in popularity. The meme is a simply-drawn anthropomorphic dog, wearing casual clothes with a smirk on his face. The character has gained traction on social media as users relate to his cool, calm and collected demeanor.

More recently, the meme has been spotted in social media marketing ads for brands like Sprite Europe, March Madness and NFL on CBS. In addition, the meme has been rising in the ranks in the cryptocurrency market. As of Thursday afternoon, a crypto token called CHILLGUY, which bears the popular character, reached a market cap, or total value, of more than $405 million, per CoinMarketCap.

In response to the meme’s viral nature, Phillip Banks, who appears to be the meme’s original artist, is looking to copyright the character.

Banks’ X account is private but per screenshots shared by his followers, Banks announced on Thursday that he was seeking copyright for the character and would be issuing “takedowns” to for-profit institutions using the character without his permission. Banks shared a Reel to a public Instagram account expressing aversion to the use of the character in tandem with cryptocurrency.