Key Takeaways
- A two-year legal dispute between Yuga Labs and artist Ryder Ripps over copycat Bored Ape NFTs has concluded with a settlement
- Ripps’ RR/BAYC project appropriated Bored Ape Yacht Club visuals, which he defended as satirical expression and protected artwork
- A district court judge had previously granted Yuga approximately $9 million in damages before an appellate court reversed the decision
- The final agreement imposes a permanent prohibition on Ripps and business associate Jeremy Cahen from utilizing Yuga’s intellectual property
- Financial details of the settlement remain confidential
The prolonged legal conflict between Yuga Labs and conceptual artist Ryder Ripps has reached its conclusion through a settlement agreement. The dispute revolved around an NFT series that appropriated visual elements from the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection.
🚨UPDATE: @yugalabs has settled the Bored Ape NFT lawsuit over RR/BAYC copycat claims, avoiding trial and ending the dispute over alleged parody tokens of Bored Ape Yacht Club. pic.twitter.com/rr6AD7yNJB
— SolanaFloor (@SolanaFloor) April 8, 2026
Yuga initiated legal proceedings in 2022, alleging that Ripps and his collaborator Jeremy Cahen marketed derivative tokens branded as RR/BAYC, generating substantial revenue by misleading purchasers into believing these assets were affiliated with the authentic collection.
Ripps contested these allegations vigorously. He characterized his endeavor as “expressive appropriation art” and maintained it represented satirical commentary safeguarded by First Amendment protections. Additionally, he leveled accusations against the original Bored Ape Yacht Club, claiming it concealed racist and antisemitic symbolism within its designs—charges Yuga dismissed as components of a targeted harassment effort.
In 2023, U.S. District Judge John Walter ruled in Yuga’s favor. His determination concluded the imitation tokens created marketplace confusion and infringed upon Yuga’s established trademark protections.
Judge Walter’s order mandated that Ripps and Cahen remit approximately $9 million covering disgorgement of earnings, statutory damages, and attorney fees.
Appellate Court Intervention
The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals subsequently reversed that decision. Although the appellate panel rejected substantial portions of Ripps’ fair use defense, it eliminated the $9 million monetary award and mandated a jury trial to determine whether consumers were genuinely deceived.
Legal experts widely regard the Ninth Circuit’s determination as establishing important precedent affirming that non-fungible tokens qualify for trademark law protection.
The current settlement eliminates the need for that jury proceeding. Documentation submitted to the California federal court proposes injunctive orders that would impose lifetime restrictions preventing Ripps and Cahen from employing Yuga’s trademarks or creative assets in any capacity.
The monetary components of the resolution were not made public.
Context About the Litigants
Ripps had previously generated controversy by asserting he had permanently deleted the cryptographic keys controlling the RR/BAYC project. Yuga subsequently petitioned the court to impose sanctions against him regarding that assertion.
Cahen, who operates under the pseudonym Pauly0x online, had established an NFT trading platform called Not Larva Labs. The designation alluded to Larva Labs, the original developers of CryptoPunks. Yuga Labs previously acquired ownership of the CryptoPunks intellectual property rights.
Bored Ape Yacht Club emerged as among the most prominent NFT franchises during the digital collectibles boom. The series attracted high-profile celebrity collectors and commanded some of the sector’s most substantial valuations.
The protracted legal confrontation has officially concluded following the settlement documentation filed on April 8, 2026.
