Event:Hormel DMCA Takedown
Rarible DMCA Takedown (Hormel v. SpamArt)
The Rarible DMCA Takedown of SpamArt, instigated by Hormel Foods in late 2022, marked one of the most public legal clashes between a corporate entity and a decentralized digital art movement. This takedown request, filed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), targeted SpamArt NFTs that referenced or visually resembled Hormel’s iconic SPAM® canned meat product. It catalyzed a wave of protest, satire, and legal counter-discourse within the Web3 art ecosystem.
Background
The SpamArt movement had, by 2022, evolved into a recognizable subgenre of digital and crypto art, known for its embrace of glitch aesthetics, meme culture, and unsolicited distribution tactics. Central to its identity was the motif of spam — both digital (as in email spam) and physical (as in the iconic pink meat product).
While the term “spam” had long existed in internet culture, SpamArt’s frequent visual and textual references to Hormel’s branding drew the attention of corporate legal teams.
The Takedown Notice
In Q4 of 2022, Rarible received a formal DMCA takedown notice from Hormel Foods Corporation, alleging unauthorized use of their registered trademarks, including but not limited to the word "SPAM" and its associated imagery.
Rarible responded by removing a number of NFTs and issuing warnings or deplatforming select artist accounts — notably those of prominent SpamArtists including Spammer:Cryptochild. Some artworks were delisted, while others were silently removed from search results.
Artistic and Legal Controversy
The incident provoked immediate backlash from the art community, particularly within SpamArt circles. Central to the protest was the argument that SpamArt did not merely use “spam” as a brand — it used it as a conceptual framework. Artists claimed their works constituted parody, critique, and commentary protected under fair use doctrine.
Spammer:Cryptochild, who had previously been censored on other platforms, emerged as a leading voice in the defense. Collaborating with artist/patent lawyer Spammer:Collin Dyer and podcast host Spammer:Eric Rhodes, Cryptochild helped draft a formal response, invoking U.S. case law regarding artistic freedom, parody, and the transformation of corporate symbols.
The Response: Art as Legal Protest
Rather than retreat, SpamArtists escalated the situation through memetic and artistic protest. Within days, new artworks were minted featuring cryptographic meat symbols, parody logos (e.g., “SPVM”), and self-referential glitch images designed to toe the line of infringement while amplifying the movement's subversive goals.
This surge of resistance blurred the boundary between legal rebuttal and artistic expression. Some artists renamed their works “SPVM,” “HORMELLO,” or “M3AT,” continuing the conversation through code and satire.
Institutional Impact
The takedown brought broader attention to the fragility of artist rights within decentralized platforms. Despite the promise of blockchain art as censorship-resistant, Rarible’s centralized control and compliance protocols highlighted the limits of Web3 autonomy when confronted with conventional corporate IP enforcement.
Philosophical and Cultural Significance
The Rarible takedown revealed deeper tensions at the intersection of corporate power, digital expression, and meme culture. It asked hard questions:
- Can a word as ubiquitous as "spam" be owned?
- Is digital collage — especially that rooted in glitch and parody — inherently at odds with trademark law?
- What happens when decentralized artistic intent meets centralized gatekeeping?
For SpamArtists, the takedown solidified the role of SpamArt not just as aesthetic practice, but as legal and philosophical resistance.
Legacy
Though Rarible's takedown was never formally reversed, it became part of the SpamArt mythos. The incident is now remembered as both a cautionary tale and a rallying point.
Multiple artists have minted commemorative works in its wake, and the phrase “SpamArt is not meat” became an unofficial slogan of the movement.
Related Pages
- Spammer:Cryptochild
- Spammer:Collin Dyer
- Spammer:Eric Rhodes
- Platform:Rarible
- Concept:Fair Use in Digital Art
- Spamject:SPVM
References
- DMCA takedown logs and correspondence (2022)
- Objkt and Rarible listing removals and snapshots
- Legal analysis by Collin Dyer and Cryptoart podcast segments
- Social media reactions and memes post-takedown