Alessio De Vecchi — Intellectual Property & Financial Dispute
ANYMA Project (Matteo Milleri)
Alessio De Vecchi is the Visual Co-Creative Director of ANYMA, a groundbreaking audiovisual project in electronic music. He developed the project's entire visual identity with Matteo from the beginning in 2021, including the iconic robot characters EVA, LILITH, and ADAM that have become synonymous with the ANYMA brand.
Despite owning 50% of the character intellectual property and being responsible for all visual creative direction, Alessio faces:
Alessio De Vecchi — Visual Co-Creative Director, ANYMA Project
Matteo Milleri — Performing as "ANYMA"
Alessio joined the ANYMA project in 2021 and developed the visual identity with Matteo from the beginning. Per Variety magazine: Alessio "became the first piece to the Anyma puzzle at the onset of the pandemic" and "has been involved since Anyma's inception."
| Party | Character IP Ownership |
|---|---|
| Alessio De Vecchi | 50% |
| Matteo Milleri | 50% |
Alessio established his robot/cyborg aesthetic 13+ months BEFORE joining ANYMA:
| Revenue Stream | Alessio's Share | Actual Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | Fixed amount | Receiving |
| Live show revenue | 0% (agreed) | N/A |
| Third-party licensing | Expected royalties (50% IP owner) | $0 |
| Merchandise | Share based on IP ownership | $135K (arbitrary, undocumented) |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| ANYMA NFT Revenue (estimated) | ~$1,470,000 |
| Alessio's 50% Share (should be) | ~$735,000 |
| Alessio Actually Received (blockchain) | ~$436,000 |
| GAP (Still Owed) | ~$299,000 |
Matteo has performed at brand campaigns where Alessio's visual assets were used:
| Brand | Alessio's Assets Used | Payment to Alessio | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulgari | Yes — custom visual created | $20,000 | Work-for-hire, not licensing share |
| Bose | Yes (performance visuals) | $0 | No payment |
| Lancôme | Yes (performance visuals) | $0 | No payment |
Legal question: If Alessio owns 50% of character IP, shouldn't he receive 50% of licensing fees — not just a flat fee for custom work?
Alessio received $135,000 from merchandise in 2025/2026. However:
| Flow | ETH | USD (at transaction time) |
|---|---|---|
| ANYMA → Alessio | 186.10 ETH | $465,786 |
| Alessio → ANYMA (investment) | 11.49 ETH | $29,726 |
| Net | 174.61 ETH | $436,060 |
The funds received were NOT personal profit. They were spent on ANYMA-related expenses:
| Expense | Amount | Reimbursed? |
|---|---|---|
| Travel expenses (first 2 years) | ~$150,000 | NO |
| Ibiza housing (3 seasons) | ~$100,000+ | NO |
| Production costs | Variable | NO |
A significant portion of the ~$463K Alessio withdrew went right back into ANYMA operations: travel for shows, Ibiza housing for work, production costs. This created a cycle:
Alessio funds productions → Productions generate live show revenue → Alessio receives 0% of live revenue
This was de facto investment, though never formalized in writing.
After ~2 years without formal agreement, a contract was signed:
| Term | Details |
|---|---|
| IP Ownership | 50% to Alessio on characters |
| Salary | €18,000/month |
| Expenses | Travel, etc. now covered |
| Live Show Revenue | Still 0% |
Even with the current contract, Alessio receives 0% of live performance revenue.
Yet his characters (EVA, LILITH, ADAM, SIREN) ARE the live show visuals. His visual work IS what audiences pay to see. Sphere shows had 200,000+ attendance at premium prices. Alessio's share: $0.
Articles crediting Alessio as "co-founder" or "creator" are being removed from the internet:
| Publication | Original Attribution | Status |
|---|---|---|
| NFT Metria | "created 3D music project Anyma" | 404 Removed |
| Real Music & Money | "The Visionary Artist Behind Afterlife" | 404 Removed |
| EDM Maniac | "Anyma & Alessio De Vecchi NFT" | 404 Removed |
| SuperRare Magazine (4 articles) | Career interview, profiles | 404 Removed |
| Period | How Alessio Was Credited |
|---|---|
| 2020-2021 | "Co-founded", "Created ANYMA" |
| 2022-2023 | "Visual Co-Creative Director" |
| 2024-2026 | "Collaborator", technical roles emphasized |
The Las Vegas Sphere residency was announced via Instagram with two posts featuring Alessio's robot character:
| Date | Post | Alessio's Robot | Likes | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 14, 2024 | Teaser | Focal point | 484K | None |
| July 15, 2024 | Announcement | On Sphere display | 1.1M | None |
| Total | 1.6M+ | Zero | ||
This incident triggered a major fallout between Alessio and Matteo.
Without Alessio's knowledge, Matteo hired Alexander Wessely and promised him the "Creative Director" title — a title that belonged to Alessio.
Alessio had to escalate the situation right before the Sphere shows. Wessely was forced to publicly acknowledge Alessio's foundational role:
"A huge part of this world was shaped by Alessio De Vecchi, a brilliant visual artist, whose vision was foundational to the show." — Alexander Wessely, Flaunt Magazine
"Visual Director Alessio De Vecchi has been a core partner since the project's inception." — Alexander Wessely, Office Magazine
Alexander Wessely has since resigned.
After the Wessely incident, a Variety interview was arranged. Alessio discussed creative vision, aesthetic philosophy, and character development. When published, the article only included technical details (screen resolution, etc.) — creative vision content was omitted.
Pattern: Reframe Alessio from "artist who built the visual world" to "technician who handles screen resolution."
The oldest posts on @anyma Instagram show 100% of content featured Alessio's EVA robot character. Recently, there has been an unsuccessful pivot toward Matteo's personal image, attempting to reduce dependency on Alessio's creations.
| Category | Quantity | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Project files (C4D, AEP, SSP) | 951+ | Personal Google Drive |
| Miro board exports | 13 boards | PDF + JSON with timestamps |
| Web sources (active) | 21+ | Archived via Wayback Machine |
| Removed articles (404) | 10+ | Some recovered via Wayback |
| Blockchain transactions | 11 transfers | Etherscan (verifiable) |
| Screenshots | Multiple | Instagram, TikTok evidence |