Father Squirrel issues a legal notice to Binance for alleged misuse of the PNUT brand

Mark Longo, popularly known as Squirrel Dad, has taken legal action against Binance for what he describes as unauthorized use of his intellectual property, including images and trademarks linked to Peanut the Squirrel.

The animal in question, stylized as “P’Nut,” was a male eastern gray squirrel rescued by Longo in 2017. He became an Internet sensation through a popular Instagram account, “P.NUT Sanctuary “, which narrated his antics.

However, the creature’s story turned tragic when, on October 30, 2024, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation seized it from Longo’s home and later euthanized it to do anger tests.

Allegations against Binance

In his letter to Binance, shared in a Dec. 16 post on X, Longo accused Binance of using the PNUT brand for cryptocurrency-related services without his express permission.

The animal rights lawyer said the crypto exchange had illegally exploited the “Peanut the Squirrel” trademark, the PNUT logos and associated images, which it has owned since it first rescued the animal. Longo demands that Binance stop this violation, confirm compliance by December 17th, and agree not to commit further violations in the future.

It claimed that these activities led the exchange’s customers to mistakenly associate the PNUT-branded meme coins sold on the platform with its conservation initiatives.

If Binance fails to comply, Longo reserves the right to seek legal remedies, including claims for damages under the US Copyright Act, which carries penalties of up to $150,000 for willful infringement. The exchange had not yet responded to the cease and desist at the time of writing.

Peanuts themed meme tokens suffer different fates

Longo previously launched the Justice for Pnut and Fred (JUSTICE) token on Pump.fun after criticizing the crypto community for cashing in on their trauma by creating the Peanut the Squirrel (PNUT) coin shortly after the popular rodent’s death.

While PNUT’s total value soared to over $1 billion when Binance listed it alongside other meme coins, JUSTICE ended up losing over 99% of its $53.8 million just days after its introduction amid claims of significant selling pressure.

The coin is currently up 34%, with a valuation of $373,026 per CoinGecko. On the other hand, PNUT posted a 4.1% drop in the last 24 hours, but its market cap is still above $1 billion.

Another coin launched by Longo shortly after the JUSTICE debacle, called Justice for Peanut (JFP), also suffered a similar fate to its predecessor, losing 67% of its price hours after release. While its price is nearly 70% below its all-time high of $0.001705, reached on December 13, 2024, the total value of its circulating supply stands at a much more respectable $2.2 million .

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