Yuga Labs Settles NFT Counterfeiting Case Against Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen

Yuga Labs has settled its NFT counterfeiting lawsuit against artist Ryder Ripps and business partner Jeremy Cahen, ending one of the most closely watched IP fights in the NFT sector and closing a case that tested how trademark law applies to digital collectibles.

What Yuga Labs Announced in the Settlement

Coverage of the California federal filing indicates the parties reached and filed a settlement on April 7, 2026, and Reuters Legal separately reported that the matter was settled in California federal court.

The reported settlement terms include a permanent injunction that would bar Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen from using Yuga Labs trademarks and Bored Ape imagery tied to the RR/BAYC dispute, according to case coverage published on April 9.

Bored Ape Yacht Club maker Yuga Labs has settled a lawsuit against conceptual artist Ryder Ripps and his business partner Jeremy Cahen over their alleged counterfeiting of its non-fungible tokens, according to a filing in California federal court. https://t.co/d93oDTBDzS

— Reuters Legal (@ReutersLegal) April 8, 2026

Timeline: From RR/BAYC Dispute to Final Resolution

Yuga originally filed suit in July 2022, alleging Lanham Act violations including false designation of origin and cybersquatting.

In 2023, District Judge John Walter awarded Yuga $1.5 million, and that total later rose to $8.8 million after attorney fees.

The outcome changed when the 9th Circuit reversed in 2024 and required a jury trial on infringement questions, while also holding that NFTs can qualify as “goods” under the Lanham Act.

Yuga’s complaint also said the RR/BAYC collection generated millions in sales by using lookalike Bored Ape visuals and branding.

Why This Settlement Matters for NFT IP Enforcement

For NFT project teams, the legal signal is concrete: the 9th Circuit “goods” finding plus a permanent injunction in this case strengthens enforcement leverage against copycat collections that reuse protected marks and imagery.

At the same time, according to a single-source report, the settlement’s financial terms remain confidential, so payment details should still be treated as unconfirmed pending direct court documentation or party statements.

Market reaction in the provided snapshot looked limited, with ApeCoin around $0.088623 and a -1.85% 24-hour change, alongside an approximate $88.65 million market cap.

BAYC pricing was also subdued in the cited market tracker, which listed about a $10,912.40 floor and near $109.1 million total market cap.

That muted response aligns with broader risk aversion highlighted in CCPress coverage of BTC, ETH, and SOL spot ETF outflows on April 8, spot Bitcoin ETF volume topping $2.4B, and Morgan Stanley’s day-one Bitcoin ETF inflow report.

The settlement closes this specific lawsuit, but the bigger precedent for future disputes remains the linked appellate view that NFT collections can be treated as trademark-regulated goods under U.S. law.