Beeple Ownership Clarified
A New York consent judgment has clarified who can claim ownership credit for Beeple’s 'Everydays' NFT series — a ruling that reshapes rights for creators and collectors in the urban‑art NFT market (en.cryptonomist.ch). The decision is poised to influence how galleries, collectors and platforms negotiate provenance and attribution for digital and street‑inspired works (en.cryptonomist.ch).
Portkey founder Vignesh Sundaresan (known publicly as Metakovan) and former contractor Anand Venkateswaran (Twobadour) were the named parties in the dispute over claims about the 2021 Christie’s acquisition. (news.artnet.com) The case, Portkey Technologies Pte Ltd v. Venkateswaran (No. 1:23‑cv‑05074), resulted in a Final Judgment Upon Consent signed by Judge J. Paul Oetken on January 30, 2026. (cases.justia.com) The consent judgment expressly awards Portkey ownership of the trademarks TWOBADOUR, METAPURSE and DREAMVERSE and imposes a permanent injunction barring Venkateswaran from claiming he was a founder, owner, manager, or responsible for the contested purchase in statements “directed at or accessible to persons in the United States.” (prnewswire.com) Portkey issued a press release announcing the entry of the Final Judgment Upon Consent on March 11, 2026, and the original complaint in the action was filed in June 2023. (prnewswire.com) A court filing dated March 2, 2026 records Venkateswaran’s compliance report, in which he says he unfollowed or left Portkey social profiles, paid an undisclosed sum to Sundaresan and Portkey, and sought corrections to third‑party biographical listings linking him to the purchase. (pacermonitor.com) Coverage from art‑market outlets reports the settlement includes Venkateswaran’s concession that Sundaresan “exclusively purchased” the Beeple Everydays NFT and that Venkateswaran had no decision‑making authority over Portkey or MetaPurse purchases. (news.artnet.com)
