Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen Face $9M Setback in Yuga Labs Lawsuit

• The duo are ordered to pay $9 million in disgorgement and additional statutory penalties.
• There was also an order for them to get rid of any RR/BAYC NFTs they may have.

A negative ruling has been issued, dismissing the counterclaims of artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen in their lawsuit against Yuga Labs, the developer of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC). The verdict also mandates that the duo pay $9 million in disgorgement and additional statutory penalties.

A court sided with Yuga Labs in April 2023 when the company sued Ripps and Cahen, claiming that they had broken copyright rules by making illegal copies of BAYC NFTs.

This followed the May 2022 debut of the Ryder Ripps BAYC (RR/BAYC) collection, in which the duo punched on the names of the popular BAYC brand. Consequently, the litigation was purportedly resolved when Ripps and Cahen were forced to pay Yuga Labs a total of $1.57 million in damages, plus their legal expenses.

Appeal Likely by the Duo

 A court filing from February 2nd states, however, that the court rejected the most recent counterclaims filed by Cahen and Ripps in response to the allegations. This time around, Ripps and Cahen had to fork out almost $9 million to pay for everything from legal bills and expert witness costs to disgorgement.

There was also an order for them to get rid of any RR/BAYC NFTs they may have. The smart contract and any social media profiles linked to RR/BAYC NFTs must also be relinquished by Ripps and Cohen.

Pauly (Cahen) told his 174,100 X followers in a post that they would be taking the case to California’s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. A declaratory judgment of non-defamation, intentional and negligent infliction of mental distress, and other counterclaims were brought by Ripps and Cahen against Yuga Labs.

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