Yuga Labs, the creator of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) non-fungible token (NFT) collection, has been accused of illegally trademarking the BAYC wolf skull logo without proper licenses. The logo was allegedly taken from a company specializing in drawing tutorials for beginners and children.
NFTs were created to protect artists and their intellectual property. However, Yuga Labs has been accused of the very thing NFTs were created to prevent.
Crypto Twitter member and NFT artist @Jdotcolombo discovered a post from April 5, 2021, where Easy Drawing Guides advertised an easy step-by-step drawing tutorial for a wolf skull.
The art was similar to the official BAYC logo, which raised suspicion since BAYC’s Kennel Club collectibles were launched later in June 2021.
Easy Drawing Guides confirmed that Yuga Labs had no license to use the wolf skull drawing. Despite this, Yuga Labs trademarked the unlicensed logo as its own.
Easy Drawing Guides stated that the intellectual property rights of the drawing belonged to them and were protected by their terms and conditions.
BAYC supporters believe that no intellectual property was breached in using the logo. However, most agree that Easy Drawing Guides is entitled to compensation.
This is not the first time Yuga Labs has faced intellectual property issues. One of the founders of the BAYC copycat NFT collection RR/BAYC filed an opposition notice against 10 trademark applications from Yuga Labs.
It remains to be seen how this case will be resolved, but it highlights the importance of respecting intellectual property rights, even in the world of NFTs.
The Easy Drawing Guides case shows that just because something is on the internet, it does not mean it is free to use. As NFTs become more popular, it is crucial to ensure that artists’ intellectual property is protected, and licenses are obtained where necessary.
