Coinbase’s Ethereum layer-2 network, Base, has fallen into the center of controversy as it celebrates its 1 billionth transaction.
The celebration included the release of an NFT, but the piece unintentionally copied the work of digital artist Chris Biron.
Base Reaches 1 Billion Transactions
On November 15, Coinbase-backed Base proudly announced the completion of 1 billion transactions since its launch in August 2023. This milestone was achieved in just over a year, a remarkable achievement. Note that compared to other networks like Bitcoin, it took more than 15 years to reach the same number.
Base’s rapid rise is no surprise. The network has quickly become the fastest growing Ethereum layer-2 solution, surpassing competitors such as Optimism and Arbitrum. A recent report by CoinGecko ranks Base as the 2nd most popular blockchain of 2024, with the network currently attracting nine times more interest than its closest layer-2 competitor, Arbitrum.
“The Base ecosystem has seen a more than 5-fold increase in investment since Q1, increasing its ranking from 7th to 2nd, surpassing the layer-1 Ethereum ecosystem. This also means that the Base ecosystem is currently attracting 9 times more interest than the next most popular layer-2 ecosystem, Arbitrum,” CoinGecko said.
Market observers have tied the network’s rapid growth to the strong support and resources provided by Coinbase, the $76 billion cryptocurrency exchange that operates Base. Furthermore, Coinbase’s brand strength as the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the United States has also contributed significantly to Base’s success.
NFT Controversy and Apology
To celebrate the achievement of 1 billion transactions, Base created an NFT. However, the artwork is surprisingly similar to a creation by digital artist Chris Biron, who accused the network of copying his work without attribution. Biron said Base had earned more than $36K from NFTs at the time he complained.
“I usually like it when someone recreates or remixes my work. But when a $76 billion corporation copies it, sells it, and makes over $36,000 in profit without crediting me, it feels less fun,” Biron speak.
In response to criticism, Base lead developer Jesse Pollak publicly apologized, explaining that the incident was unintentional. The Coinbase-backed network also admitted that its work was unintentionally similar to Biron’s and promised to improve the process to prevent similar problems in the future.
“Creativity often draws from a common source of inspiration, and in the process of designing this work we accidentally recreated another artist’s work without giving credit. We sincerely apologize and will send 100% of the revenue to Biron,” Base write.
Biron appreciated Base’s response, calling it a “commendable action” and praising the team for handling the situation respectfully.