Yuga Labs makes progress in lawsuit against California-based NFT creators over ‘appropriation’ of Bored Ape products
According to the lawsuit, Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen benefited from Bored Ape NFTs at Yuga Labs’ expense.
Yuga Labs’ lawsuit against a defendant for “appropriating” and profiting from Bored Ape non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has advanced. According to a recent filing, the prominent NFT developer saw a US District Court in Central California rule in its favor against artist Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen. The court denied a motion by the defendants to dismiss opposition from the famous blockchain technology company. However, the court also gave Ripps and his NFT business partner Cahen the opportunity to file a future motion against Yuga Labs’ grant claim.
Yuga Labs has accused the duo of taking advantage of Bored Ape NFTs at Yuga’s expense. The Miami-based company first filed the lawsuit in June against California-based Ryder Ripps and several employees. According to Yuga Labs at the time, NFT artist and NFT marketplace Not Larva Labs founder Jeremy Cahen was copying and selling NFT collections, then devaluing Bored Ape products.
A spokesperson for Yuga Labs currently stated an assessment of the California court’s latest ruling:
“Our lawsuit to hold Ripps and Cahen accountable for their blatant and flagrant theft of Yuga Labs’ trademarks rightfully moves forward with this ruling.”
In addition, the spokesperson expressed Yuga Labs’ intent to prove how the copycat NFTs negatively impact the “originals.” In the Yuga Labs spokesperson’s own words, “We will continue to prove these facts as the case progresses.”
Ripps, others label Bored Ape Creator lawsuit as attack on free speech
In October, the defendants first filed the motion against Yuga Labs to dismiss the opposition. Labeling the lawsuit by the Bored Ape creator as an attack on his free speech, Ripps also filed an anti-strategic anti-public participation (SLAPP) lawsuit at the time. In addition, the aggrieved co-defendant has previously expressed a willingness to settle only out of court for a payment of no less than 100 billion dollars. In addition to disputing Yuga Labs’ claims of copied NFTs, Ripps noted that “RR/BAYC is an expressive piece of conceptual art that illuminates truths about YugaLabs and establishes that you cannot copy an NFT. Nothing in this ruling can or will change these objective facts.”
The California-based conceptual artist also said:
“I see it as possible [Yuga Labs] will wake up one day and realize the seriousness of their trolling and their incessant lies and their lack of respect for other people.”
Back in July, the co-defendant expressed confidence in his chances of winning the case against Yuga Labs. In addition, Ripps also suggested that the proceeds of a Yuga Labs payout, either by court mandate or out of court, would be used to settle a number of financial obligations. According to him, these include high legal fees and community members supporting Ripp’s NFTs. However, Ripps also added that Yuga Labs is not currently considering the far-reaching ramifications of the lawsuit and allegations.
In June, in the midst of the lawsuit, Bored Ape created took to Twitter to appreciate the community for their support.
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Tolu is a cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiast based in Lagos. He likes to demystify crypto stories to the basics so anyone anywhere can understand without too much background knowledge. When he is not deep into crypto stories, Tolu likes music, loves to sing and is an avid movie buff.
