When a bunch of coders created a currency called ‘Coinye West’, we thought – everyone thought – the rapper would love it. A form of payment in his name? It all sounded perfect.

Kanye WestBags of Coinye Wests? We doubt it

Coinye West was a variation on the BitCoin, which is a legitimate, if not controversial currency. They even featured a cartoony image of a Kanye West fish, but the outspoken rapper – whose 2013 was nothing short of explosive – wasn’t flattered.

West's lawyers have now unleashed a cease-and-desist letter against the seven coders who created the coin last week, according to The Wall Street Journal. "Given Mr. West's wide-ranging entrepreneurial accomplishments, consumers are likely to mistakenly believe that Mr. West is the source of your services," lawyer Brad Rose wrote.

The geeks don’t seem to be perturbed, though. "Due to legal pressure, we will be launching today," they wrote. "We want to release this to the public before the man can try to crush it," one of the coders told the Journal on Monday night. “They'll still come after us, but that's OK."

West’s lawyers aren’t playing games, and we could be seeing a lengthy legal battle over the next few months. "Mr. West is an internationally renown musical artist, songwriter, producer, film director and fashion designer, to name just a few of Mr. West's endeavors,” added West’s people.

"Mr. West's tremendous success and notoriety has catapulted the KANYE WEST brand into a commercial asset of incalculable value ... Several news sources have quoted the developers as stating, 'We chose Kanye because of his trendsetting abilities and his originality,' and also that you have decided to remain anonymous 'in case Kanye gets pissed off.' Such statement support a finding that your infringement is blatant and wilful," the letter added.

If the geeks don’t halt their actions by Monday West’s law folks will be forced to pursue claims of trademark infringement and notify the "cryptocurrency community at large of your infringing actions."

Kanye WestWest just wants a quiet life - he's not after any attention