Bored Apes Get the Last Laugh: Yuga Labs Settles Copycat NFT Lawsuit Before Trial

Yuga Labs has settled its lawsuit against artist Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen over their alleged copycatting of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs. The agreement ends a two-year dispute over whether the pair's RR/BAYC project crossed the line from satire into trademark infringement. Because nothing says "we're taking the high ground" quite like settling before anyone has to answer uncomfortable questions in front of a jury.

Proposed court orders would permanently bar Ripps and Cahen from using Yuga's trademarks and imagery, according to a filing in California federal court. The settlement terms remain confidential. Probably for the best—imagine the chaos if we found out exactly how much ApeCoin was spent on lawyers versus how much the copycats actually made. Spoiler: the lawyers probably won either way.

Yuga Labs filed suit in 2022, claiming the defendants sold lookalike tokens and earned millions by confusing buyers. The pair argued their work was satirical commentary on the Bored Ape collection, which became one of the most recognizable NFT brands during the market's peak. Ah yes, "satirical commentary"—the oldest excuse in the Web3 playbook, right up there with "it's just a JPEGs" and "the roadmap is coming, we swear."

A district judge initially sided with Yuga and awarded nearly $9 million in damages and fees. However, an appeals court later overturned that ruling, determining a jury should decide whether buyers were actually misled. The settlement avoids that trial entirely. Nothing like spending two years in legal limbo only to settle the week before things get interesting. The real winners here are the lawyers, and honestly? They've earned it.

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