A cryptocurrency advocate has sued Andreas M. Antonopoulos Inc. in Denver federal court, claiming the company exploited his name and trademark to promote digital-asset trading “boot camps” that deceived customers. Christopher P. Beall, a shareholder in Denver and New York at Recht Kornfeld, represents the plaintiffs, Andreas M. Antonopoulos and aAntonop Operations LLC, in the lawsuit against the defendants, Andreas M. Antonopoulos Inc., Olivier Seguin and an unidentified Jane Doe. “This is unusual in the sense of using the client’s actual given name as the name to register as the corporation,” said Beall, who previously served as Colorado’s deputy secretary of state. “It is a problem in Colorado and many states for fraudulent registration of corporations on state business registries to register a company at an address that is not the business.” Antonopoulos—an author, educator and longtime commentator on blockchain technology—has written several books, taught university-level courses and appeared as an expert witness in regulatory proceedings worldwide. His company, aAntonop Operations LLC, owns the registered “AANTONOP” word mark and a registered design mark used to identify the plaintiffs’ educational services. In July 2024, Seguin incorporated Andreas M. Antonopoulos Inc. with the Colorado secretary of state, listing a Denver address and naming himself as incorporator and registered agent. The entity later failed to file its first annual report and is currently listed as noncompliant on the state’s registry, according to the complaint. The plaintiffs said in the complaint that they first learned in March that Antonopoulos’ name and registered marks were being used to market online investment and trading boot camps claiming to teach his “trading strategies and precise trading signals.” They responded by posting a notice on their website clarifying that Antonopoulos does not provide investment or trading advice. Nevertheless, the plaintiffs alleged in the complaint that these unauthorized boot camps continue to be promoted through WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram groups, often involving hundreds of participants. One recent solicitation advertised “Dean Antonopoulos’s 8th Online Bootcamp,” according to the filing. Now, the case is pending before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott T. Varholak of the District of Colorado. The plaintiffs assert claims for trademark infringement, unfair competition, false advertising, common-law misappropriation and violations of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act. They also seek injunctive relief to halt the boot camps and prevent further use of Antonopoulos’ name. “Without the relief requested here, not only will Mr. Antonopoulos’ reputation continue to be harmed,” the plaintiffs alleged, “but countless future consumers will suffer even further financial harm as the Defendants continue to market their deceptive online cryptocurrency ‘bootcamps’ and seminars.”