Yuga Labs has settled its high-profile lawsuit against artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen, ending a dispute over their RR/BAYC NFT collection. The settlement includes a broad permanent injunction that bars the defendants from using BAYC trademarks and requires them to transfer all related assets to Yuga Labs, effectively shutting down the rival project.
Yuga Labs has reached a settlement with artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen, concluding a lengthy legal battle over the use of Bored Ape Yacht Club branding. The agreement resolves questions about whether derivative NFT collections framed as critique can use established trademarks.
Court filings show the settlement imposes a permanent injunction with extensive limits. Ripps and Cahen are permanently barred from using BAYC-related trademarks across any goods, services, or digital platforms.
The restrictions also extend to the RR/BAYC collection itself, prohibiting any further minting, marketing, or sale of the NFTs. The defendants are barred from collecting any royalties tied to the project.
As part of the settlement, the defendants must transfer any remaining RR/BAYC NFTs and related domain names to Yuga Labs. They must also grant Yuga Labs control over smart contracts and social media accounts linked to the collection.
The lawsuit was originally filed in 2022, accusing the defendants of trademark infringement and cybersquatting. The case had advanced through multiple legal stages, including an appeal, before this agreement resolved all claims.
While the case concludes without a final jury ruling, the outcome reinforces how intellectual property rights are being applied to NFTs. The injunction suggests NFT collections are treated as commercial goods subject to traditional trademark law.
The settlement highlights the limits of using artistic or satirical framing when projects rely on recognizable branding. It also demonstrates courts are willing to recognize control over NFT-related infrastructure like smart contracts.
