Artists Ordered to Pay $9 Million in BAYC Copyright Dispute

Artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen are mandated by a federal courtroom to pay $9 million in damages to Yuga Labs, following a high-profile authorized dispute over unauthorized use of the Bored Ape Yacht Club’s copyrighted non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Yuga Labs Wins Big as Artists Ordered to Pay up $9 Million Over BAYC Dispute

Artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen have been ordered by the courtroom to pay almost $9 million in damages to Yuga Labs, the creator of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), following the dismissal of their counterclaims in a high-profile copyright lawsuit.

Ripps and Cahen, identified for launching the Ryder Ripps BAYC (RR/BAYC) assortment, have been embroiled in authorized battles since May 2022. Their undertaking, which performed on the BAYC model, was discovered to have infringed upon Yuga Labs’ copyrights, resulting in a lawsuit that concluded in April 2023 with a victory for Yuga Labs.

Initially, the courtroom mandated Ripps and Cahen to compensate Yuga Labs with $1.57 million in damages and canopy authorized bills. A recent court filing dated Feb. 2, nevertheless, revealed an escalated penalty totaling nearly $9 million. This sum contains disgorgement, authorized charges, and professional witness charges, reflecting the severity of the copyright infringement.

Moreover, the artists are required to both destroy any RR/BAYC NFTs they personal or hand them over to Yuga Labs for disposal. This directive extends to all associated infringing supplies, together with promotional objects and commercials bearing the BAYC mark. They are additionally ordered to relinquish all social media accounts and the sensible contract related to the RR/BAYC assortment.

The counterclaims filed by Ripps and Cahen, which included allegations of emotional misery and a plea for declaratory judgment of no defamation, had been dismissed by the decide. The courtroom’s resolution emphasised Yuga Labs’ claims of false designation of origin and cybersquatting, setting a precedent for the safety of mental property rights within the quickly evolving NFT house.

Cahen, who’s popularly often called Pauly amongst his followers on X, has introduced plans to enchantment the choice within the Ninth Circuit Court of California, signaling a possible continuation of this authorized saga.

BREAKING

On a Saturday, The Federal Court has entered its last judgement in opposition to me in my case vs. YugaLabs.

Judgement Total: $9,112,496.50

(Note: My identify is misspelled within the order)

We are interesting this final result within the Ninth Circuit Court of California.

Case is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/fHcEsbBL6a

— PAULY (@Pauly0x) February 3, 2024

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