Yuga Labs, the creators of the famous Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection, have won a landmark legal victory in their trademark infringement case against Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen.
The US District Court in California found that Yuga Labs is entitled to an injunction and damages, as well as being the rightful owner of the BAYC trademarks, which are legitimate and enforceable.
The court declared that the use of the BAYC trademarks without the consent of Yuga Labs potentially caused confusion among potential buyers looking to purchase an authentic Bored Ape NFT.
The case centered around the RR/BAYC NFT collection, which contains identical copies of Bored Apes and used marketing material similar to that of the Bored Ape Yacht Club.
Ripps and Cahen argued that their collection was a satirical and critical response to Yuga Labs, claiming that the Bored Ape NFTs depict racist and subtle Nazi references. However, the court ruled that their use of the BAYC trademarks does not fall under the category of fair use or artistic expression.
Yuga Labs began legal action in June 2022, filing a trademark infringement lawsuit against Ryder Ripps and his associate.
The U.S. District Court in California found, on April 21, that Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen utilized the BAYC trademarks without the consent of Yuga Labs, potentially causing confusion amongst potential buyers looking to purchase an authentic Bored Ape NFT.
