Controversy Surrounds Sony’s Soneium Layer 2 Blockchain

The developers of Sony’s Layer 2 blockchain, Soneium, have ignited controversy by allegedly blacklisting certain memecoins for infringing on intellectual property rights.

This action, reported to have taken place on the network’s launch day, led to some tokens being restricted and rendered unsupported within the network.

This blacklisting has frustrated some users, as highlighted in multiple posts on X, where they expressed their sudden inability to trade or access these memecoins on the Soneium network and through the block explorer.

The blacklisting specifically targets tokens that mimic or utilize branding deemed protected by Sony or Soneium. Consequently, trading these memecoins has reportedly been affected. Users attempting to access these tokens encounter a forbidden alert on Soneium’s official block explorer.

The situation intensified with comments from the pseudonymous founder of pump.fun, Alon, who criticized the platform for “actively blacklisting memecoins they don’t like, instantly nuking everyone’s position to 0.”

Others have questioned the extent of control blockchain developers should have and the balance between protecting intellectual property rights and preserving a permissionless network.

Moreover, the founder of Time.fun, Kawz, asserted that the blacklisting had adversely impacted users’ funds. The tokens on the blacklist were restricted at the RPC level, making them technically inaccessible for now. “Soneium rugged users >$100k in ETH on launch day. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Kawz stated, mentioning at least two tokens have been impacted.

One affected project is a newly launched memecoin named “Aibo,” inspired by a series of robotic dogs produced by Sony, and valued at approximately $700,000, according to DexScreener.

Developers of the memecoin say they are collaborating with Soneium to swiftly resolve the issue and may introduce a new logo.

Sony Block Solutions Labs, the Singapore-based blockchain subsidiary of the multinational conglomerate, launched Soneium earlier today. The developers emphasized their commitment to enforcing intellectual property rights for creators and fans.

“Our documentation outlines how we safeguard IP rights and combat malicious activities – all while keeping web3’s core values of openness and innovation intact,” Soneium stated in response to the backlash.