Yuga Labs, the company behind the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection, has reached a settlement with artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen, ending a legal dispute that began in 2022. Court documents filed in the District Court for the Central District of California confirm that both parties have agreed to the terms of the settlement. The case had been heading toward a jury trial before the agreement was reached.
Under the terms of the settlement, Ripps and Cahen are permanently prohibited from using Yuga Labs’ imagery and trademarks. The two artists must also transfer control of the smart contracts, domains, and any remaining NFTs tied to their RR/BAYC project to Yuga Labs within ten days. The court additionally barred the pair from transferring, concealing, or disposing of any assets referenced in the injunction in a manner intended to avoid compliance.
Yuga Labs originally filed the lawsuit in June 2022, alleging that Ripps and Cahen had copied its cartoon ape images, sold imitation NFTs, and earned millions of dollars as buyers confused the two collections. The RR/BAYC NFTs were first minted in May 2022. Attorneys representing the artists contended that the project constituted satire and parody of the original collection and was therefore protected under free speech laws.
In April 2023, the court sided with Yuga Labs, finding that the artists had created unauthorized versions of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs in violation of copyright law. The court ordered Ripps and Cahen to pay $1.37 million from their profits, along with an additional $200,000 in damages. The case continued to develop as the artists pursued further legal challenges.
The financial penalties escalated significantly after Ripps and Cahen lost a counterclaim in 2024, pushing the total judgment to $9 million. An appeals court subsequently overturned that ruling in 2025, determining that a jury trial was necessary to resolve whether Yuga Labs’ trademarks had been infringed. The settlement now brings the prolonged dispute to a close before any jury proceedings could take place.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
