"In March 2021, Beeple's Everydays: The First 5000 Days sold at Christie's for $69.3 million, sending an earthquake through the art world. But who on earth had bought the thing? That question has been at the heart of a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York in 2023 that has now reached a settlement."
"Shortly after the Christie's sale, a pseudonymous duo emerged to take credit: Metakovan and Twobadour, who explained they had acquired the NFT through MetaPurse, a crypto-native investment fund. In time, they revealed themselves to be Sundaresan and Venkateswaran."
"In June 2023, Sundaresan and Portkey Technologies sued Venkateswaran for trademark infringement and false claims of having been closely involved in the purchase of the Beeple artwork. In essence, Sundaresan was aggrieved that Venkateswaran had spent the better part of a year promoting his own NFT businesses and appearing on podcasts and conference panels by leveraging his connection MetaPurse and the Beeple purchase."
In March 2021, Beeple's Everydays: The First 5000 Days sold at Christie's for $69.3 million. The pseudonymous buyers Metakovan and Twobadour later revealed themselves as Vignesh Sundaresan and Anand Venkateswaran, operating through MetaPurse, a crypto investment fund. The two split in 2022, and Sundaresan subsequently sued Venkateswaran for trademark infringement and falsely claiming involvement in the purchase. Venkateswaran had leveraged his connection to MetaPurse and the Beeple sale to promote his own NFT businesses through podcasts and conferences. A January settlement confirmed Sundaresan as the sole purchaser, with Venkateswaran conceding he had no role in acquiring the artwork.
Read at Artnet News
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