Ripp and Kahan are co-founders of the RR/BAYC project. In June 2022, Yuga Labs filed a lawsuit against them for copyright infringement. The company claimed that the design of their $NFT was actually copied from the Bored Ape Yacht Club collection (BAYC).

In April 2023, the studio won the case. Ripp and Kahan were ordered to destroy $NFT or transfer them to Yuga Labs, as well as pay compensation. However, in February 2024, Ripp stated that he had lost access to the addresses with the remaining tokens.

In April 2025, the studio filed a renewed lawsuit against Kahan, insisting that he was evading the obligations imposed by the court’s decision.

Later, the original lawsuit was reinstated, and the previous ruling was canceled. Ripp and Kahan appealed it, demanding a jury trial.

Settlement Agreement
According to documents filed in the Central District Court of California, the case was settled by mutual agreement. As part of the deal, Ripp and Kahan are permanently prohibited from using Yuga Labs’ symbols and trademarks.

They are required to transfer control over the smart contracts, domains, and any remaining $NFTs related to RR/BAYC to the studio within 10 days. The court also effectively prohibited them from evading the order in any way.

The case does not mention compensation. Under the previous ruling, Ripp and Kahan were to pay $9 million.