Yuga Labs, the creator of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, has secured a significant legal victory in a case against copycat NFT projects. The company stated that the ruling is a “landmark legal victory” and a clear message to those who seek to profit from their creations without permission. The announcement follows recent reports of NFT plagiarism and intellectual property disputes in the fast-growing market. Yuga Labs has set a precedent for other NFT creators and owners to protect their rights and assets from imitators. The verdict could also impact the future of the NFT ecosystem by establishing legal frameworks for ownership and copyright protection.
Bored Ape Yacht Club Creator Wins Trademark Infringement Lawsuit Against Copycat NFT Collection
Yuga Labs, the creator of Bored Ape Yacht Club, has won a landmark legal victory in a trademark infringement lawsuit against Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen over their copycat RR/BAYC NFT collection. A federal judge declared late on Friday that Yuga Labs is entitled to an injunction and damages. The judge agreed that Ripps and Cahen had committed “false designation of origin,” and affirmed Yuga Labs’ position rebutting the defendants’ First Amendment and fair use defenses. However, Yuga Labs’ motion for “enhanced damages” was denied. The issue of damages will be determined in the courtroom.
The RR/BAYC project includes identical copies of the original Bored Ape Yacht Club profile pictures (PFPs) and was described by Cahen and Ripps as a parody protected by the First Amendment. Yuga Labs called it “scamming” buyers with falsely equivalent NFTs in a “deliberate effort to harm Yuga Labs at the expense of consumers.” The case is being closely watched in both crypto and art circles, with some observers predicting that Yuga Labs’ lawsuit against known provocateur Ryder Ripps, could backfire.
The ruling is a major win for Yuga Labs and the entire Web3 industry to hold scammers and counterfeiters accountable for their actions. The case is a baseless effort to silence our very valid artistic criticisms, wrote Cahen last summer. Yuga Labs described the judgment as a “landmark legal victory for Web3.”