Yuga Labs quietly settles Bored Ape lawsuit with Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen; terms undisclosed

Settlement ends a two‑year legal brawl

Yuga Labs has settled its long-running lawsuit against artist Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen over what the company says were copycat Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) tokens. The defendants allegedly reused Bored Ape imagery in a project called RR/BAYC; it has been reported that the settlement terms were not disclosed. A filing in a California federal court shows the agreement brings an end to the dispute without the contested issues going before a jury.

A checkered legal history — nearly $9 million, then back to square one

This fight has been anything but simple. Yuga sued in 2022, claiming Ripps and Cahen sold lookalike tokens and, according to Yuga, earned millions by confusing buyers. A district judge initially sided with Yuga and awarded nearly $9 million in damages and fees. But an appeals court later overturned that ruling, saying a jury should decide whether buyers were actually misled — and that wrinkle pushed the parties back toward settlement rather than another protracted trial.

What this means for NFTs, satire and trademark law

So what did we learn? Hardly anything definitive. The proposed court orders attached to filings would permanently bar Ripps and Cahen from using Yuga’s trademarks and imagery, it has been reported that the injunction language was part of the deal — but the lack of public terms leaves open the larger question courts have been wrestling with: where does satire end and trademark infringement begin? That’s the emotional core here — artists saying “freedom of expression,” brands saying “protect the mark.” A lot is at stake as the NFT market matures and courts shape the rules.

An unresolved precedent

For now, the settlement avoids a jury verdict that might have set clearer precedent for creators, collectors and brands alike. The industry will watch closely — will this chill parody and critique, or simply draw a line around commercial knockoffs? No one outside the settlement knows for sure; until terms are disclosed, the biggest takeaway is that a major chapter in the BAYC saga has closed, but the book on NFTs and trademark law is far from finished.

Sources: coindesk.com