Sony Group’s Ethereum Layer 2 network, Soneium, faced backlash from some users shortly after its mainnet launch, as certain meme coins were blacklisted by the network to protect creators’ rights. However, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin saw the value of Ethereum Layer 2 network in the controversy and expressed his views on how L2 can achieve a balance between enterprises and users.
Soneium Takes Action Against Copyright Infringement
Sony’s subsidiary Sony Network Communications, in collaboration with the Japanese public chain Astar Network’s development company Startale Labs, established Sony Block Solutions Labs (Sony BSL) last year, subsequently launching the second-layer blockchain Soneium utilizing Optimistic rollup technology. Earlier this week, Sony BSL announced the launch of Soneium mainnet, with a primary focus on serving content creators, fans, and communities to address the current pain points in content creation.
According to DL News, some Soneium users complained on Discord about their inability to trade two new meme coins, Aibo and Toro. These tokens are named after Sony’s Aibo robot dog and PlayStation’s Toro cat. The related smart contracts were quickly marked as “banned” according to information on the block explorer Blockscout, cutting off the trading channels for the holders of these meme coins.
In a post on the social platform X, Soneium outlined its approach to balancing creation and intellectual property protection, stating that the team has taken measures to “safeguard intellectual property to ensure a fair and inclusive ecosystem,” with temporary restrictions on certain contracts at the RPC level to protect creators’ rights and encourage responsible innovation.
Alon, the anonymous founder of the meme coin issuance platform pump.fun on the Solana ecosystem, criticized this approach, stating that Soneium users have found ways to bypass the network’s restrictions by conducting transactions directly on the Ethereum mainnet with a 12-hour delay.
Vitalik’s Perspective on Soneium Controversy
Regarding the controversy surrounding Soneium, Ethereum founder Vitalik Buterin positively discussed the potential value of Ethereum Layer 2 for enterprises and users. He mentioned that enterprises can design a very closed system where operators can edit the state root, while users are aware of the system they are entering, with analysis websites like l2beat and numerous independent network researchers assisting them. Enterprises can also build a fully open system. Furthermore, Vitalik stated that L2 builders can design a system with a “speed bump” where users are aware they can send transactions on this L2 when needed but face a significant speed bump – the sequencer can limit transaction speed without reviewing transactions. Vitalik cited Sony’s Soneium as an example of such a system.
Vitalik emphasized that free market competition drives the development of the Ethereum ecosystem, but as an ecosystem, it needs to ensure two things: financial activities occur in a fully open environment, and provide enough tools to help users understand the characteristics of the chain they are participating in.
Sota Watanabe, Director of Sony Block Solutions Labs, stated in an interview with Decrypt that Soneium’s approach is not against meme coins but rather “supports responsibility.” He mentioned that the network’s team will implement a grace period for potential blacklist decisions in the future. A spokesperson for Soneium stated, “We believe meme coins are a powerful tool when developed responsibly and in compliance with ethical and legal frameworks. We are committed to fostering an environment of innovative growth while ensuring the rights of creators are protected.”
Source: Decrypt
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