Bored Apes, Nazis & Copyright (Part 2)
Article source, here.
TL;DR
In 2022, a dude called Ryder Ripps created a one-for-one copycat of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection.
He claimed it wasn't copyright infringement because he was exercising his right to free speech (bold move).
Oh, and he also accused the BAYC founders of being secret nazis, hiding visual clues in their art (!!!). BAYC then took Ripps to court.
Last Friday, Yuga Labs (creators of BAYC) won a key legal battle, meaning the case is going to trial - where damages will be determined.
Full Story
[Fair warning, if you're not up on this story - you're about to be blindsided].
So, in case you missed it last year:
A dude called Ryder Ripps created a one-for-one copycat of the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFT collection, and claimed it wasn't copyright infringement because he was exercising his right to free speech.
We're not lawyers, so we didn't know how much water that argument might have held in such a situation - but it felt like a bold move.
Oh, and he also accused the BAYC founders of being secret nazis, hiding visual clues in their art...
(Told you you were going to be blindsided).
But wait! It gets weirder.
...or better yet, 'grayer.'
See, to be able to understand Ripps' accusation of nazi-sympathizing, you need an obscure understanding of symbolism, iconography and ciphers.
To the point that it feels like neither side can be truly proven or disproven.
If we had to summarize the two sides of the argument, it might look like this:
BAYC: These accusations are SUCH A STRETCH, why would anyone believe this?
Ripps: Yeah, they're a stretch - and that's by design. You made sure the connections were vague enough that you'd have plausible deniability.
BAYC: Seems like you're trying to attach meaning to your scam, in order to sell more fake NFTs and have others in the community side with you.
Ripps: Nope. It's art. You're nazis.
BAYC: Ok, then - see you in court, I guess.
...and 'see you in court' they did.
Last Friday, Yuga Labs (creators of BAYC) won a key battle over "scammers and counterfeiters." A win that pretty much equates to this:
The case is going to trial, where damages will be determined.