Melania Trump may be in trouble for using NASA's image.
Melania Trump, the former United States First Lady, has stirred a controversy by seemingly ignoring NASA's policy on image use in her recently launched NFT collection.
Her NFT, named "Man on the Moon," introduced on July 20th, prominently displays the famous 1969 image of astronaut Buzz Aldrin participating in the NASA-led Apollo 11 moon landing.
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However, NASA's policy prohibits using its imagery for NFT projects. Thus, Mrs. Trump's NFT may have potentially breached these rules.
According to the organization’s Regulations on Merchandising Requests and Media Usage Guidelines, NASA expressly states that it does not want its images associated with NFTs and will not approve any merchandise applications linked to NFTs.
It is worth noting that any individuals or entities that wish to use NASA's images, logos, or identifiers on their merchandise must receive the agency's approval.
It appears that neither Mrs. Trump nor the USA Memorabilia NFT platform she employed submitted a request to NASA.
However, based on previous instances, a harsh stance from the federal agency seems unlikely. A NASA attorney informed The Los Angeles Times that although the organization can dispatch cease-and-desist letters to merchants infringing its policies, NASA's leadership tends to opt for more conciliatory routes to compliance, including casual discussions with merchants.
Melania Trump has been notably active in the NFT space. Recently, she unveiled a range of NFTs capturing significant moments in American history.
Mrs. Trump's husband, former US President Donald Trump, has been also active in the NFT scene. Donald Trump's own NFT collection saw a significant price surge in March after he faced criminal charges from a New York grand jury. However, the introduction of a second set of digital trading cards in April erased those gains, severely devaluing the initial project.
Melania Trump's latest foray into the NFT space with her "Man on the Moon" has put her at odds with NASA's image usage policy, stirring up a unique controversy within the intersection of NFTs, law, and federal image rights.
