Cryptocurrency

"Melania Trump Has Released an Apollo 11-Themed NFT That May Violate NASA’s Merchandising Policy"

2023-07-20 [vendor] Melania Trump Apollo NFTs [chain] solana
Primary Source ↗
Blockchain(s) Solana

Incident Details

Melania Trump doesn’t seem willing to let the flop of her first NFT project, which ended with her allegedly buying the NFT herself, slow her down. She’s just announced a line of Apollo 11-themed NFTs, because apparently our former first lady is a big space buff. The Man on the Moon NFTs sell for $75 each, and feature a 1969 photo of Buzz Aldrin on the moon surface, bizarrely superimposed on what appears to be a 2007-era iPod Nano.As a photo produced by a federal agency, NASA’s image is not copyrighted. However, NASA policy outlines “strict laws and regulations”, including that “NASA is not approving any merchandising applications involving Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), as they are not consistent with the categories of products the agency is approved to merchandise… NASA does not wish for its images to be used in connection with NFTs.“The NFTs don’t seem to be exactly flying off the shelves. The collection contains 500 copies, and according to the website, only 55 have been sold in the week following the project’s release, garnering Mrs. Trump $4,125.

Technical Details

Vendor / Product
Melania Trump Apollo NFTs

Timeline

  1. 2023-07-20 Breach occurred
  2. 2023-07-20 Publicly disclosed