A representation of cryptocurrency Ethereum is seen next to non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of Yuga Labs "Bored Ape Yacht Club" collection displayed on its website, in this illustration picture taken March 24, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration
(Reuters) - The creator of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club non-fungible tokens has sued an artist in Los Angeles federal court, accusing him of selling unlawful copies of Bored Ape NFTs.
Yuga Labs Inc said in the Friday lawsuit that Ryder Ripps is purposely causing consumer confusion under the guise of satire and reaping millions in "ill-gotten profit" while "celebrating the harm he causes."
Ripps did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday. A statement on the website for Ripps' NFTs said Bored Ape Yacht Club has "extensive connections" to "subversive internet nazi troll culture" and that his work "recontextualized" the pieces.
Yuga said in the complaint that Ripps has targeted it in a "campaign of harassment based on false accusations of racism," and the company's founders said in a Friday open letter appearing on the website Medium that "trolls" were "spreading ridiculous conspiracy theories online and using them to sell knockoff NFTs."
The company said in a Friday Twitter post that it will fight Ripps' "slanderous claims" and "continuous infringement."
NFTs are digital tokens that use blockchain technology to verify an asset's authenticity. Yuga's Bored Ape Yacht Club is some of the most prominent NFT-based...
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