Key Points
- Artist Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen have reached a settlement with Yuga Labs after a two-year legal battle over unauthorized Bored Ape NFT imagery
- Ripps’ RR/BAYC collection utilized Bored Ape Yacht Club visuals, which he defended as satirical expression and protected artistic speech
- An initial $9 million damages award in favor of Yuga was subsequently vacated by an appellate court
- Under the settlement terms, Ripps and Cahen are permanently prohibited from utilizing Yuga’s intellectual property and trademarks
- Financial details of the settlement agreement remain confidential
A legal dispute between Yuga Labs and artist Ryder Ripps, along with his associate Jeremy Cahen, has come to a close through settlement. The controversy revolved around an NFT series that replicated 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 Labs initiated legal proceedings in 2022, alleging that Ripps and Cahen marketed counterfeit tokens branded as RR/BAYC, generating substantial revenue by misleading purchasers into believing the assets were affiliated with the authentic collection.
Ripps contested these allegations vigorously. He characterized his work as “expressive appropriation art” and maintained it represented satirical commentary entitled to First Amendment protection. Additionally, he leveled accusations that the original Bored Ape Yacht Club incorporated racist and antisemitic symbolism within its designs—claims Yuga dismissed as part of a coordinated harassment effort.
In 2023, U.S. District Judge John Walter ruled in Yuga’s favor, determining that the imitation tokens had the potential to create marketplace confusion and infringed upon Yuga’s trademark protections.
Judge Walter mandated that Ripps and Cahen remit approximately $9 million covering profit disgorgement, damages, and attorney fees.
Appellate Court Intervention
The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals subsequently reversed that judgment. Although the appellate panel rejected the majority of Ripps’ fair use defense, it nullified the $9 million award and mandated a jury trial to determine whether consumers were genuinely confused.
Legal experts consider the Ninth Circuit’s decision significant for establishing that NFTs fall within the scope of trademark law protection.
The recent settlement eliminates the need for a trial. Court documents filed in California federal court outline proposed injunctions that would permanently prevent Ripps and Cahen from utilizing Yuga’s intellectual property or branded imagery moving forward.
The monetary aspects of the settlement were not made public.
Additional Context
Ripps had previously generated controversy by asserting he had destroyed the private keys associated with the RR/BAYC collection. This prompted Yuga to petition the court for sanctions against him.
Cahen, who operates under the pseudonym Pauly0x, had launched an NFT trading platform called Not Larva Labs—a name that alluded to Larva Labs, the original developers of CryptoPunks. Yuga Labs previously held ownership rights to the CryptoPunks intellectual property.
The Bored Ape Yacht Club emerged as among the most prominent NFT franchises during the market’s boom period. The collection attracted high-profile celebrity investors and commanded premium valuations throughout the NFT ecosystem.
The protracted legal confrontation has officially concluded with the settlement documentation filed on April 8, 2026.
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