Yuga Labs has resolved a years-long legal battle with two artists regarding trademark issues related to their NFTs.
Summary
- Yuga Labs has settled its lawsuit with artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen, bringing the dispute over lookalike BAYC NFTs to a close.
- Ripps and Cahen are permanently barred from using Yuga Labs imagery and must transfer control of related NFTs, domains, and smart contracts within 10 days.
Court documents filed on April 8th show that Ryder Ripps, Jeremy Cahen, and Yuga Labs have finalized a settlement agreement, resolving their legal dispute.
As part of a legal settlement, the two artists are now prohibited from using any images or trademarks belonging to Yuga Labs. They must also hand over all related digital assets – including smart contracts, website addresses, and any remaining NFTs from the RR/BAYC project – to Yuga Labs within 10 days.
Ripps and Cahen are prohibited from moving, concealing, or getting rid of any of the accounts or assets mentioned in this court order. This restriction is in place to ensure they don’t try to avoid following the rules.
Copyright laws violated in multi-year case
As crypto.news previously covered, Yuga Labs – the creator of the Bored Ape Yacht Club – initially filed a lawsuit in June 2022. The suit alleges that Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen used the Bored Ape images and made money by selling similar, unauthorized versions.
The people accused claimed their digital collectibles, created in early 2022, were intended as satire and a joke based on the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club series. They argued this was protected under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech.
Our legal challenge didn’t succeed, and in April 2023, the court sided with Yuga Labs. The judge determined that Ripps and Cahen had infringed on copyright by making copies of the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection that were too similar. As a result, they were ordered to pay $1.37 million from their earnings, plus cover all legal costs.
As an analyst tracking this case, I saw the initial judgment rise to $9 million in 2024 when Yuga Labs successfully filed a counterclaim. However, that wasn’t the end of it. An appeals court ultimately overturned parts of the judgment, indicating that a full trial was still needed to determine the final amount of damages and clarify the intent behind the original claims. This led to the final settlement we’re seeing now.
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2026-04-09 10:46