Yuga Labs removes BAKC logo amid image theft allegations

Yuga Labs NTF collection is set to change the Bored Ape Kennel Club (BAKC) logo following allegations of intellectual property theft.

As crypto.news previously reported, the company was accused of IP theft of a wolf skull image by Easy Drawing Guides, a learn-to-draw company.

Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano tweeted on Feb. 18 that the company would change the BAKC logo and “debut a new logo soon.”

Saw the claims today about the BAKC logo. This was news to us and we're still investigating the situation. Have reached out to the freelancer we hired for that design and Easy Drawing Guides. We’ll be changing the logo and updating it on our site / ask marketplaces to change as… https://t.co/OwtflDXehz

— Garga.eth (Greg Solano) (@CryptoGarga) February 18, 2023

Yuga has been in the limelight for all the wrong reasons over its trademarked logo, which had apparent similarities to the drawing by Easy Drawing Guides.

The drawing company released the wolf skull image on April 5, 2021, just before the launch of BAKC on June 17, 2021.

Easy Drawing Guides said it has intellectual property rights over the drawing on Saturday after an NFT enthusiast raised the alarm on Twitter.

Thanks for bringing this up @Jdotcolombo. @yugalabs doesn't have a license to the wolf skull drawing. The intellectual property rights for the drawing belong to Easy Drawing Guides as it's our original drawing and protected by our Terms and Conditions.

— Easy Drawing Guides (@easydrawinguide) February 17, 2023

Solano says that the whole saga was news to them and that they are “still investigating the situation.”

“Have reached out to the freelancer we hired for that design and Easy Drawing Guides. We’ll be changing the logo and updating it on our site and ask marketplaces to change as well.”

Yuga Labs co-founder Greg Solano

Following the statement, the BAYC OpenSea profile has already removed the logo.

Yuga Labs trademark debacles

Yuga Labs has been accused of stealing intellectual property on more than one occasion.

The company submitted most of its trademark applications in the last half of 2021, covering Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) logos, artwork, and branding for use across digital products. These included NFT-based art, trading cards, and metaverse wearables.

On Feb. 9, ten trademark registrations were subject to opposition notices issued by Jeremy Cahen, one of the founders of BAYC copycat NFT collection RR/BAYC.

Yuga Labs downplayed the notice, stating that Cahen was just trying to cause trouble.

It is unclear what the new logo may look like. However, Solano emphasized that the project was about “raising money for charity.”

According to Yuga Labs, royalties collected from BAKC NTFs via secondary market sales were donated to animal charities.