Celebrity Couple in Legal Battle Over Shared Pet NFT After Divorce

Meta celebrity power couple @VaultQueen and @NexusBlade split in March, but their co-owned virtual dog NFT "BISCUIT_9" has become the most contested asset in metaverse divorce history.

BISCUIT_9 is not an ordinary virtual pet. Commissioned two years ago by @VaultQueen and @NexusBlade at the height of their relationship, the dog NFT features custom-animated tail physics, a one-of-a-kind fur shader, and a verified provenance chain that makes it one of the most recognizable digital companions on the platform. It has its own following of 340,000 accounts. It has appeared in more sponsored content than either of its owners. And now it is sitting in a third-party escrow wallet while lawyers argue about who loved it more.

"Both parties claim they were the primary caretaker," the arbitration filing reads. "Both parties can demonstrate equivalent time logged with the asset. Both parties contributed equally to the original acquisition cost. The arbitration board has no clear precedent for joint ownership dissolution of a sentient-presenting NFT with an independent social following." Legal experts note that the phrase "sentient-presenting" is doing a lot of work in that sentence.

Who Gets BISCUIT_9?

The platform community has taken sides with the enthusiasm typically reserved for celebrity custody battles in less digital contexts. Fan accounts for BISCUIT_9 itself — maintained separately from either owner's fanbase — have published an open letter demanding that the dog be "freed" and granted independent account status. The platform has declined to comment on whether an NFT can be its own primary account holder.

@VaultQueen and @NexusBlade have both continued to post content featuring BISCUIT_9 using archival footage from before the escrow, a strategy that has been characterized by followers as either "deeply sad" or "extremely professional" depending on who you ask. The arbitration board is expected to issue a preliminary ruling within thirty days. Neither party has suggested they would accept the other having sole custody.