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Ryder Ripps' counterclaim dismissed! Yuga Labs copyright lawsuit concluded, awarded nearly $9 million

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Ryder Ripps

Last year, Yuga Labs initially won a copyright lawsuit against NFT artists Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen. However, now the counterclaim filed by the latter has been dismissed by the judge, and they are ordered to pay nearly 9 million USD to the former, which includes lawyer fees, expert witness fees, and damages.

Ripps and Cahen Ordered to Pay $9 Million

The latest documents from the California federal court reveal that the counterclaims by Ripps and Cahen, also known as Pauly0x, have been rejected by the presiding judge in the case, citing some of the claims as weak and ruling that they must pay up to $8.825 million in damages.

Court document showing the amount of compensation on P.3

Specifically, this includes $6.98 million in legal fees for Yuga Labs, $1.57 million for trademark infringement and damages from a previous lawsuit, and approximately $330,000 for expert witness fees.

In their counterclaims, Ripps and Cahen alleged that Yuga Labs intentionally or negligently caused them emotional distress and claimed that their products did not constitute defamation, but the judge dismissed these claims.

Furthermore, the documents emphasize that Ripps and Cahen must destroy all infringing materials, including NFTs, articles, documents, software, marketing products, advertisements, and any assets related to the use of BAYC intellectual property within the next two weeks:

If the defendants own any NFT products such as RR/BAYC, they are to destroy them or provide them to Yuga Labs for disposal.

It also states, "including social media accounts, domains, and smart contracts."

Yuga Labs Copyright Lawsuit Comes to an End

Initially, in July 2022, Yuga Labs filed charges against Ripps and Cahen, alleging trademark infringement, false advertising, and unfair competition after the release of the counterfeit NFT series called RR/BAYC, which reportedly earned them millions of dollars.

In October last year, a judge ruled in favor of Yuga Labs, finding the allegations valid and determining that the two had violated copyright laws, ordering them to pay a total of $1.57 million in damages for infringement and domain name misappropriation.

Additionally, the company is entitled to recover the defendants' profits and pursue attorney fees and related costs.

Yuga Labs Wins Copyright Lawsuit! Awarded Nearly $1.6 Million and Can Recover Legal Fees

Cahen Pauly: Will Continue to Appeal

In response to the ruling, Cahen indicated through Twitter, now as X, that they will continue to appeal.

The case is ongoing, and we are appealing the judgment to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California.