Doom hits Dogecoin, Bitwise Bitcoin ETF wallet receives tips: Nifty Newsletter
A developer inscribed the 1993 first-person shooter game Doom on the Dogecoin network, allowing users to play on mobile and desktop computers.
In this week’s newsletter, OKX doubles down on Bitcoin-based nonfungible tokens (NFTs), community members send tips to the Bitwise exchange-traded fund (ETF) wallet, and Cristiano Ronaldo trains with holders of his NFTs. In other news, find out how the 90s first-person shooter (FPS) game Doom made its way into Dogecoin and how OpenSea is “open-minded” to a potential acquisition.
‘No such thing as spam’ — OKX exec on Bitcoin Ordinals
While some are against Bitcoin Ordinals, calling the protocol spam, crypto exchange OKX is taking a different stance. The exchange doubled down on Bitcoin NFTs by announcing that it would support Atomicals and Runes in its marketplace. It will also support Doginals, which is Ordinals on Dogecoin.
In a statement to Cointelegraph, Lau said that in permissionless networks like Bitcoin, all transactions are valid as long as they pay fees and conform to consensus rules. The executive argued that “there is no such thing as spam” in open networks like BTC.
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Bitwise Bitcoin ETF wallet attracts inscriptions and rare sats donations
Asset manager Bitwise made their spot Bitcoin
BTC
tickers down
$42,226
ETF wallet address public on Jan. 24 to allow the public to verify their ETF’s holdings and flows directly on the blockchain
Within hours of being publicly available, the wallet received many tips and donations from the crypto community. This included over 16,000 inscriptions worth about $6,000. The inscriptions included two RSIC airdrops, a Bitcoin Punk, one Bitcoin Burials and more.
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Cristiano Ronaldo kicks it with NFT holders as court challenges loom
In a Binance-sponsored training event, football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo delivered on some promises to holders of his NFTs. The athlete played football with several NFT holders, giving them tips on how to improve their game.
Ronaldo signed a multiyear partnership with Binance NFTs in 2022 and promised to provide fan engagement opportunities to NFT holders. At the time, Ronaldo said that bringing access and experiences to his fans was something he wanted to be part of.
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90s FPS game Doom runs on Dogecoin via Ordinals
Using the Ordinals protocol on Dogecoin, a developer inscribed the free version of the 1990s first-person shooter video game Doom on the Dogecoin network. With this, anyone can play the video game hosted on the blockchain on mobile devices and computers.
Doom was released in 1993 and became very popular. According to pseudonymous developer Mini Doge, they inscribed the game into Dogecoin to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Doom.
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OpenSea reportedly “open-minded” to acquisition
Meanwhile, NFT marketplace OpenSea seems to be open-minded when it comes to an acquisition. In a DL News report, OpenSea CEO Devin Finzer said that while the company has no plans to be acquired, it should consider it if the right partnership comes along.
Continue reading Prosecutors argue Mashinsky charges should stick
United States federal prosecutors have rebuffed former Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky’s motion to dismiss commodities fraud and market manipulation charges, saying his arguments aren’t legally relevant.
In a Jan. 26 filing to a New York district court, prosecutors rejected claims made in Mashinsky’s Jan. 12 dismissal motion who wanted the two charges dropped due to them being inconsistent and lacking “fair notice,” along with information related to Celsius’ bankruptcy struck from the indictment.
Prosecutors claimed Mashinsky misread the indictment and misinterpreted relevant case law when arguing to dismiss the commodities fraud charge.
Thanks for reading this digest of the week’s most notable developments in the NFT space. Come again next Wednesday for more reports and insights into this actively evolving space.
They argued because the alleged fraud was “in connection with a contract of sale of a commodity (Bitcoin), it constituted commodities fraud” and added there was “nothing inconsistent or even unusual about that result.”
Responding to Mashinky’s fair notice argument in an attempt to dismiss the market manipulation charge, prosecutors argued the challenge was “premature and must await [the] conclusion of the trial.”
Regardless, they claimed his arguments “would fail” as they alleged Mashinsky knew — and falsely publicly denied — that the Celsius (CEL) token price increase was “due to Celsius’s massive undisclosed purchases of CEL token” and his statements showed he “understood that the law prohibits a wide variety of manipulative conduct.”
In response to Mashinky’s request to remove mention of Celsius’ bankruptcy, prosecutors said, “the facts surrounding Celsius’s bankruptcy filing are relevant to the charged crimes.”
Mashinsky’s trial is set for September 2024.
Goledo Finance to attacker: Take bounty or face cops
In a series of follow-up X posts, Goledo said it had identified all the exploiter’s wallet addresses and contacted crypto exchanges to freeze the related doxed accounts — which it said were frozen to prevent them from cashing out.
“Local law enforcement agencies have been notified and are actively involved,” the project added. It offered a 10% bounty to return the pilfered funds.
In a Jan. 27 DL News report, OpenSea CEO and co-founder Devin Finzer said the company isn’t hunting for a buyer and has “no plans to be acquired,” but “if the right partnership comes along, then that’s something we should certainly consider.”
OpenSea once dominated NFT trading volumes and market share but now trails behind rival Blur. At its height, OpenSea saw anywhere between 60,000 to over 80,000 daily transactions, which has now fallen to around 20,000 a day, per DappRadar data.
Football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo delivers on some promises to holders of his nonfungible tokens (NFTs) despite some ongoing efforts to take the sports legend to court in the United States.
On Jan. 25, crypto exchange Binance released a video of Ronaldo playing football with several fans and holders of his NFTs. Along with fellow Binance endorser Khaby Lame and Croatian footballer Maria Marković, Ronaldo trained with NFT holders and gave them some tips to improve their game.
In 2022, the football star signed a multiyear NFT partnership and released his first NFT collection with Binance. The agreement included creating a series of NFT collections with Ronaldo and giving the NFT holders exclusive engagement opportunities with the sports icon.
Back then, Ronaldo said in a press release sent to Cointelegraph that his relationship with his fans was very important and the “idea of bringing unprecedented experiences and access” through NFTs is something he wanted to be part of.
In 2023, the footballer continued to promote NFTs with Binance, even doing stunts like going through a lie detector test when he released his second collection in partnership with the exchange. At the time, Ronaldo admitted that he owned NFTs, and the lie detector confirmed that the athlete was telling the truth.
Related: Celebs who got burned endorsing crypto and those that got away with it
While some enjoyed Ronaldo’s involvement with Web3, others believe that the football star’s involvement with Binance’s NFT arm allegedly promoted investments in unregistered securities on the exchange. On Nov. 27, 2023, users filed a class-action lawsuit against Ronaldo in a United States district court in Florida, claiming that he “actively participated in the offer and sale of unregistered securities in coordination with Binance.”
Despite the lawsuit, the Binance users experienced difficulties finding and serving Ronaldo as his address in Saudi Arabia is kept private. On Jan. 16, the plaintiffs filed a motion requesting to employ different tactics. This involves sending the notice through e-mail, X (formerly Twitter) and website publication, arguing that it complies with international agreements.
