Yuga Labs File Lawsuit at Ryder Ripps for Nazi Defamations
Yuga Labs, the makers of Bored Ape Yacht Club Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), has filed a lawsuit against artist Ryder Ripps and several associates. Yuga labs announced this on their Twitter handle.
(1/2) The outpouring of support from our community today has been overwhelming. We will continue to be transparent with our community as we fight these slanderous claims. In order to put a stop to the continuous infringement, and other illegal attempts to bring harm to…
— Yuga Labs (@yugalabs) June 25, 2022
“The outpouring of support from our community today has been overwhelming. We will continue to be transparent with our community as we fight these slanderous claims. In order to put a stop to the continuous infringement, and other illegal attempts to bring harm to us and the BAYC community, we have filed a lawsuit against the responsible parties. We will continue exploring and pursuing all legal options at our disposal.”
A 43-page lawsuit was filed
The Bored Ape Gazette posted on their Twitter feed the 43-page law suite. The lawsuit has all the illustrations of carious Bored Ape NFTs. They accuse Ryder Ripps and others of creating and selling “copycat NFTs” that lower the value of the originals.
FULL DOCUMENT » @yugalabs Announced That It Filed A Lawsuit Today.
Here’s The full 43 Page Suit: pic.twitter.com/ZtSrY0zlhh
— The Bored Ape Gazette🍌 (@BoredApeGazette) June 25, 2022
Using original Bored Ape Yacht Club photos in his own counterfeit NFT collection and dubbing them “RR/BAYC” NFTs, the artist allegedly tried to devalue Bored Ape NFTs, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit also stated that Bored Ape NFTs “frequently resell for hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars, and well-known celebrities are happy owners of Bored Ape NFTs,” noting that there are only 10,000 total and that each one is special.
In addition to damages and legal costs, Yuga Labs asks for a ruling prohibiting Ripps and colleagues from “engaging in further interference with its prospective economic connections.”
BAYC’s Nazi ties
In a tweet thread earlier this year, Ripps claimed to have been “researching and publicizing on BAYC Nazi ties.”
2/ Since a friend in early December sent me the BAYC and Totenkopf logo comparison I have been researching and posting about BAYC Nazi ties. pic.twitter.com/CgjzPh5aHn
— RYDER-RIPPS.ETH 🔜 (@ryder_ripps) February 8, 2022
In a blog post published on Friday, the creators of Bored Ape refuted these accusations.
“We think it’s crazy that these conspiracy theories have been able to proliferate. It really shows the power that a demented troll on the internet can have.”
They clarified why they selected apes in their representations and the reasons why the ‘Yuga labs’ is named as such.
“We’ve seen our community rally behind us, and we appreciate that — it’s obvious to them, as well to anyone we’ve worked with over the past year (not to mention anyone who has known us our whole lives) that this is all nonsense. We appreciate all the love and support.”
The legal firm Fenwick & West submitted a 43-page lawsuit against Yuga Labs on Friday to the US District Court for the Central District of California by the legal firm Fenwick & West.