Yuga Labs and artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen have quietly resolved their high-profile dispute over alleged “copycat” Bored Ape NFTs, bringing a two-year legal fight to an end.
What happened
- The settlement resolves Yuga’s 2022 lawsuit accusing Ripps and Cahen of selling lookalike tokens in their RR/BAYC project that reused Bored Ape imagery and, Yuga alleged, confused buyers and generated millions in sales. Ripps and Cahen have maintained their work was satirical.
- A proposed court order filed in U.S. federal court in California would permanently bar Ripps and Cahen from using Yuga’s trademarks and imagery. The specific terms and any financial components of the deal were not disclosed.
Legal background
- The case has been closely watched in crypto and intellectual-property circles for its potential to set precedent on how trademark law applies to NFTs and artistic appropriation.
- A district judge initially ruled for Yuga and awarded roughly $9 million in damages and fees. An appeals court later overturned that result, saying a jury should decide whether buyers were actually misled—a potential trial the settlement now avoids.
Why it matters
- The Bored Ape Yacht Club became one of the most recognizable NFT brands during the market’s boom, and this settlement removes a major pending test of how far creators can go when repurposing iconic NFT imagery.
- With the dispute settled out of a jury verdict, many of the legal questions about satire versus infringement in the NFT space remain unresolved and could resurface in future cases.
Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news
