Yugalabs Ends Multi-year Litigation with Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen 

Yuga Labs has settled its long-running trademark infringement lawsuit against conceptual artist Ryder Ripps and his business partner Jeremy Cahen.

The settlement, announced via court filings on April 7–8, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, ends a dispute that began in 2022 over Ripps’ RR/BAYC NFT collection, which reused and reinterpreted imagery from Yuga Labs’ Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs.

Yuga Labs accused Ripps and Cahen of creating and selling counterfeit-like NFTs that mimicked Bored Ape designs and branding, allegedly profiting millions while confusing consumers. Ripps framed his project as satirical appropriation art or expressive commentary on the NFT space and BAYC’s cultural impact.

In 2023, a district court ruled in Yuga’s favor, awarding about $1.5 million in damages which grew to over $8.8 million with attorneys’ fees and costs plus an injunction. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later vacated the damages award and remanded the case, questioning aspects of consumer confusion and the balance with artistic expression.

This set the stage for further proceedings before the settlement. The parties resolved all claims without proceeding to a full trial. Public details include: Ripps and Cahen are barred from using Yuga Labs’ trademarks, imagery, or related branding in commercial or promotional contexts going forward. Additional requirements in some reports mention transferring control of related NFTs, domains, and smart contracts within 10 days in certain filings.

Financial terms; remain confidential, as stated by Ripps and confirmed in court documents. Yuga Labs’ attorneys declined to comment. The settlement avoids further litigation and provides Yuga Labs with strong IP protections, while Ripps has described the agreement as confidential overall.

This case was one of the more high-profile loose ends from the 2021–2022 NFT boom, highlighting tensions between brand owners enforcing trademarks and artists claiming parody or fair use in the digital space. It underscores how courts and parties often resolve such disputes through injunctions focused on preventing ongoing confusion rather than massive payouts after appeals.

The NFT market has evolved significantly since the suit was filed, with BAYC and the broader sector facing ups and downs. It signals that courts and parties lean toward injunctions focused on preventing ongoing confusion rather than prolonged battles. Similar disputes involving parody, appropriation, NFT projects may now face quicker resolutions or stronger brand leverage.

However, it does not create binding new law on fair use boundaries, as no final merits ruling occurred post-remand. Yuga gains direct control over residual RR/BAYC assets, removing a persistent source of alleged consumer confusion and counterfeit NFTs in the market. This strengthens BAYC’s brand integrity amid the collection’s post-boom challenges.

Ending the multi-year litigation avoids further legal fees and distraction, allowing Yuga to focus on ongoing projects, metaverse efforts, or other IP enforcement. The win via settlement may deter future copycat projects targeting BAYC or other high-profile NFT collections, reinforcing Yuga’s position as an aggressive IP protector.

Ripps is permanently enjoined from reusing BAYC-related elements, limiting this specific avenue of critique or satire. He has described the overall agreement as confidential but has not issued major public criticism post-settlement. The case highlighted tensions between First Amendment protections for expressive art and trademark law in digital contexts.

While Ripps framed RR/BAYC as commentary on BAYC’s cultural impact, the settlement prioritizes brand protection over continued commercial exploitation of the parody. Any prior damages or profits from RR/BAYC are resolved privately; the earlier ~$1.5M–$9M awards including fees were vacated on appeal and not reinstated.