Farcaster

But I mean, Base/Coinbase cannot launch a coin/token just like that, no? They are a publicly traded company. They have COIN, a stock. Is there no legal repercussions for also having a separate token? Not sure here, just spitballing. 

Launching through clanker would make it THEIR token. The way I see the Zora thing differs a bit from clanker - It's a mint that just so happens to also have a token attached to it. And they did "launch" through Zora several times already. The only difference is that this time it took off.

If base is launching coins on Zora it’s because they think they can launch coins without any legal repercussions or else they wouldn’t do it

Whether they choose Zora or Clanker to launch it wouldn’t make a material difference legally speaking

Using Zora to launch coins implies they believe they can avoid legal consequences. The choice between platforms likely won't affect legality