Yuga Labs settles Bored Ape NFT lawsuit, ending fight over alleged copycat tokens

The settlement avoids a trial and ends the dispute over the RR/BAYC NFTs, which claimed to parody Bored Ape Yacht Club, one of the most recognizable NFT brands.

What to know:

• Yuga Labs settled its two-year lawsuit against artist Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen over their RR/BAYC NFT collection, which reused Bored Ape imagery. The settlement bars them from using Yuga's trademarks.
• The dispute centered on whether the project was satire or trademark infringement. A judge initially awarded Yuga nearly $9 million in damages, but an appeals court overturned that ruling, requiring a jury to decide if buyers were misled.
• The settlement avoids a trial and ends the dispute over the Bored Ape Yacht Club, one of the most recognizable NFT brands.

Yuga Labs has settled its lawsuit against artist Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen over their alleged copycatting of its non-fungible tokens (NFTs) from the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection.

The agreement ends a two-year dispute over whether the pair’s project, which reused Bored Ape imagery, crossed the line from satire into trademark infringement.

Proposed court orders would permanently bar Ripps and Cahen from using Yuga’s trademarks and imagery, according to a filing in California federal court. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

Yuga’s Bored Ape collection became one of the most recognizable NFT brands during the market’s peak. The firm sued in 2022, claiming Ripps and Cahen sold lookalike tokens in their RR/BAYC NFT collection and earned millions by confusing buyers. The defendants argued their work was a satirical response to the actual Bored Ape Yacht Club collection.

A district judge initially sided with Yuga and awarded nearly $9 million in damages and fees. But an appeals court later overturned that ruling, saying a jury should decide whether buyers were actually misled. The settlement avoids that trial.

More For You

Most crypto privacy models weaken as blockchain data grows. Encryption-based models like Zcash strengthen. CoinDesk Research maps the five privacy approaches and examines the widening gap.

Why it matters:

As blockchain adoption scales, the metadata available to machine learning models scales with it. Obfuscation-based privacy approaches are structurally degrading as a result. This report provides a comprehensive comparison of all five major crypto privacy architectures and a framework for evaluating which models remain durable as AI capabilities improve.

More For You

While the British financial institution refused to comment on potential takeover plans, sources close to the matter revealed that plans are in place and could be announced as soon as this month.

What to know:

• Standard Chartered is reportedly seeking to fully acquire Zodia Custody and fold its crypto custody operations into one of the bank’s existing digital asset divisions.
• The bank is considering keeping Zodia Custody as a separate software-as-a-service platform for crypto custody, even as it restructures the business.
• Any deal would come...

South Korea proposes cryptocurrency law with bank-style rules for stablecoins

1 hour ago

The Protocol: Bernstein says quantum threat to Bitcoin is real but manageable

1 hour ago

Crypto Long & Short: Asia’s digital asset crackdown: accountability gets personal

2 hours ago

U.S. Treasury proposes demands that stablecoin firms be set to police bad transactions

2 hours ago

Bitcoin is above $70,000 on Iran ceasefire, but rally is turning cautious for good reasons

2 hours ago

Standard Chartered is looking to take over crypto custody provider Zodia: Bloomberg

3 hours ago

Saylor’s solo act: JPMorgan says Strategy is practically the only thing keeping crypto flows alive

4 hours ago

Iran eyes crypto toll for oil tanker transits through Strait of Hormuz, according to FT

4 hours ago

Adam Back denies he’s Satoshi Nakamoto after NYT report claims he’s Bitcoin’s creator

3 hours ago

Morgan Stanley's bitcoin ETF opens today, giving BlackRock’s $55 billion IBIT fund its toughest rival yet

5 hours ago

White House study bolsters crypto's stance in stablecoin yield fight against bankers

3 hours ago

Attacking bitcoin mining with a quantum computer would require the energy of a star, academics say

12 hours ago