'Chill Guy’ Meme: Origin, Copyright Feud, and Its Rise in Crypto Sales

'Chill Guy’ Meme: The latest social media craze that has extended its tentacles to the cryptocurrency market is controversial, however, the copyright owner of the premier image did not take it easy.

“Chill guy” or “I’m just a chill guy,” is a phrase that is gaining wide usage. The phrase is depicted by a very simple figure drawn in the form of a dog, who is very hindi and casually dressed as he bears a smile. The image has been shared across several social media sites with people finding his cool, calm and easy composure relatable.

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Lately, the image has also appeared alongside social media marketing campaigns by companies such as sprite Europe, March Madness, and NFL on CBS. Moreover, the meme has been gaining traction within the cryptocurrency space. By Thursday afternoon, a cryptocurrency token under the name CHILLGUY that features the well-known character had a market cap of more than $405 million according to CoinMarketCap.

As a reaction to the meme’s unstoppable spread, Phillip Banks, apparently the original artist of this meme, is seeking to register a copyright for it.

Phillip Banks’ profile on X is private, showing mostly images from his followers. He apparently reported this Thursday that he would be creating a copyright for the character and taking legal action against making available to the businesses the character without his consent. Also, Banks posted on an open Access Instagram account a picture that demonstrated Banks' disapproval of the incorporation of the character with the cryptocurrency market.

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The ‘Chill Guy’ Meme is often associated with that image of a brown dog in a gray sweater, denim rolled jeans, and red sneakers depicted with a long smirk. With this picture, the character's hands (or paws) are placed in the pockets of jeans, as he bears this smile. Sticking up features, a long massive head, and a sizable muzzle, are what gives ‘Chill Guy’ the likeness, to Brian Griffin the family guy dog, with a similar look but more exaggerated features.

On the 4th of October, 2023, Phillip Banks made history by posting the first ever anthropomorphized dog on Instagram. In an Instagram Reel, the text on the screen says, “My new character. His whole deal is he’s a chill guy that lowkey doesn’t give a (expletive)."

The character has made countless video appearances across various social media platforms, mostly being used by men. The most popular videos on TikTok with incorporating the character feature captions such as, “When she thinks (you’re) bland and (don’t) care about (her), but (you’re) really just a peaceful person who prefers to keep to himself” and “When she scolds you for not remembering what she told (you) earlier in the day, but you’re simply a laid back dude enjoying his day."

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