NFT Developer Ryder Ripps Settles Lawsuit with Yuga Labs

Yuga Labs asserted that the developers were major members of the team assembled by Ripps for the production of rip-off "RR/BAYC" NFTs that used the BAYC logo and imagery in order to rip off Ripps.

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In a settlement between Yuga Labs and developer Thomas Lehman, who assisted Ryder Ripps in creating the websites and smart contracts for the RR/BAYC NFT project, Yuga Labs has reached an agreement with Thomas Lehman.

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Earlier this year, Yuga Labs filed a lawsuit against Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen for attempting to devalue authentic BAYC NFTs through the production of counterfeit RR/BAYC NFTs. Ripps is alleged to have used authentic BAYC photos to make the NFTs, and he is accused of marketing these as genuine BAYC products to the public.

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Nonetheless, Yuga added two more lawsuits against Ripps by filing separate suits against Thomas Lehman in the Northern District of New York and developer Ryan Hickman in Nevada.

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Trade Algo reports that Yuga claimed the developers were integral members of the team assembled by Ripps to create rip-off “RR/BAYC” NFTs that used the Bored Ape logo and imagery to create NFTs that were aimed at trading.

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The settlement of the Yuga Labs, Inc. v. Lehman trademark lawsuit in the Northern District of New York ended with Lehman stating, "I am happy to have resolved the trademark lawsuit between Yuga Labs, Inc. and Lehman.". “Despite my best efforts, I never intended to damage Yuga Labs' brand, and denounce all disparaging statements made about Yuga Labs and its founders and appreciate their many positive contributions to the NFT space.” 

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Yuga Labs added, “It gives us great pleasure that Mr. Lehman acknowledges that he assisted two of his former colleagues, Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen, to infringe on Yuga Labs’ trademarks in developing, marketing, and selling counterfeit NFTs.”

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Despite the fact that their case is still pending, Ripps and Cahen continue to disagree with Yuga Labs. A recent clarification by Yuga Labs clarifies confusion about its NFTs IP license and the commercial rights associated with the 10,000 images within the BAYC collection of images.