Breaking: Legal Drama Unfolds in NFT Showdown of the Century! 😱⚖️

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In a plot twist worthy of a bad sitcom—cue the laugh track—an appeals court has decided to hit the rewind button on Yuga Labs’ $9 million victory against artist Ryder Ripps and his partner-in-crime, Jeremy Cahen. 🎭

According to the wise sages of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, Yuga Labs still has to prove that Ripps and Cahen’s latest NFT collection—titled something like “Ryder Ripps Bored Ape Yacht Club” (because who doesn’t love a good parody that sounds just like the original?)—is likely to confuse the average non-fungible token shopper. I mean, come on, who can keep track of all these mutant monkey art projects? 🐒💸

The esteemed trio of judges has sent this case back to a federal court in California, where all the drama will unfold like a never-ending taco Tuesday, to look at claims of trademark infringement and cybersquatting. You know, the kind of squatting that makes you wonder if someone’s just been binge-watching too many episodes of Project Runway. 🏃‍♂️💨

Back in 2022, Yuga stepped up to the plate, claiming that Ripps’ collection was the ultimate copy-paste job of its iconic Bored Ape Yacht Club. Ripps, being the controversial artist he is, argued that his work was actually a sharp satire—because nothing says “art” like making fun of racism in digital ape form. What a time to be alive! 🎨✊

In an illuminating email (because that’s how we do the press releases nowadays), Ripps called the ruling a “huge victory for artists seeking to make expressive meaningful work.” So…so expressive! I’m guessing this means monkeys are now qualified for art school? 🎓

Meanwhile, Yuga co-founder Greg Solano took to X (formerly known as Twitter, but who’s counting?) to declare that they plan to “finish the fight” in district court. As if fighting over NFT trademarks isn’t what everyone dreams of doing on a lazy Wednesday afternoon. 🤷‍♂️💻

Setting the Precedent Like It’s Hot

In what some might call a “Win for Yuga,” the judges deemed their NFTs to be “goods” under US trademark law. This means NFT collections can throw shade and even sue one another. It’s like Mean Girls but for digital apes! 🦁💖

The judges confirmed that Yuga “had trademark priority”—because, let’s face it, they were first to slap “Bored Ape Yacht Club” on their merchandise. The adoration for the sudden legal plot twist was palpable, with Solano tweeting that Bored Ape NFTs are now “protectable trademarks.” So, cheers to every NFT holder for their newfound legal security! 🍾

It’s Not Over Until the Gavel Drops!

In the thrilling aftermath of a lower court judgment in 2023, Yuga was initially awarded $1.6 million—but let’s be real, who does anything on a small scale? That number ballooned to $9 million once Ripps and Cahen lost a spicy counterclaim. However, the Ninth Circuit came crashing in, saying Yuga’s trademark dilution claims were not going to fly like a monkey in space. 🚀🐵

So, back to square one we go! The court suggests a full-on federal trial is needed to determine whether Ripps’ NFTs are indeed infringing on Yuga’s trademarks. I mean, who knew getting dinged for digital art could be so convoluted? 🤔

But the judges were on the same page about one thing: Ripps and Cahen’s “use of Yuga’s marks” wasn’t exactly the poster child for “fair use.” So much for that! A finger-wag moment from the court as they declare this was not “expressive work” worthy of First Amendment defense. 🙅‍♀️

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2025-07-24 07:10