Yuga Labs has reached a settlement with Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen over the RR/BAYC collection, closing a two-year legal fight that became one of the most important trademark cases in the NFT market. The agreement does more than end a bitter dispute; it reinforces the growing legal force of intellectual-property claims in digital collectibles.
Court filings show that the artists agreed to stop using Yuga Labs’ trademarks and imagery and to hand over key RR/BAYC assets, including smart contracts, domains and any remaining tokens. The public record does not disclose the financial terms. What remains visible is the structure of the outcome: Yuga Labs secured control, injunctive relief and a clear legal boundary around its brand.
A copycat dispute ended with control returning to Yuga Labs
The case began in June 2022, when Yuga Labs sued over the RR/BAYC project, arguing that it copied Bored Ape Yacht Club art and branding. The litigation quickly became a proxy fight over how far parody, appropriation and commentary could go in NFT markets built around recognizable collections. At its core, the case tested whether digital collectibles could be treated like branded commercial goods rather than purely expressive internet artifacts.
A district court initially ruled in Yuga Labs’ favor in 2023 and awarded roughly $1.5 million in damages. Later judgments and fee awards pushed the financial exposure to nearly $9 million before the Ninth Circuit stepped in during 2025, vacating the larger award and sending the matter back for further fact-finding. That appellate intervention narrowed the damages picture, but it did not weaken the broader trademark stakes of the case.
The settlement now brings finality where continued litigation might have produced a longer and more uncertain enforcement process. Ripps and Cahen are permanently barred from using Yuga Labs’ trademarks or imagery, and they must transfer control of the relevant contracts, domains and remaining RR/BAYC NFTs. The settlement also prohibits any transfers or other actions that would frustrate the deal, with the required transfer set to occur within 10 days of the filing. The practical effect is to shut down the project’s residual infrastructure and return control of its remaining moving parts to Yuga Labs.
The legal meaning reaches beyond one NFT collection
What gave the dispute its broader significance was the Ninth Circuit’s 2025 conclusion that NFTs can qualify as “goods” for trademark purposes. That point matters because it gives brand owners a more direct path to enforce trademarks against digital collections that closely replicate established assets. The ruling helped move NFT trademark law out of a gray zone and into a more recognizable commercial framework.
That shift changes the risk calculus for the wider market. Projects built too closely around existing brands now face clearer legal exposure, while platforms, custodians and marketplaces may encounter greater pressure to respond to takedown demands and IP complaints. The settlement also removes a lingering cloud over RR/BAYC itself, turning the case from an unresolved fight into a working example of how branded NFT disputes can end. For the market, the message is increasingly plain: imitation in NFTs is no longer insulated by novelty alone.
The next phase will be defined by enforcement rather than argument. With the injunction in place and the transfer provisions moving into execution, attention will turn to how quickly the remaining RR/BAYC infrastructure is absorbed and whether similar cases follow. This settlement closes one of the NFT sector’s most closely watched disputes, but it also strengthens the legal playbook for the next one.
