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Yuga Labs, the company that stands behind thr Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection, has escalated its legal campaign. They want enforce a multi-million-dollar trademark judgment by targeting the crypto wallets of controversial influencer Jeremy Cahen.
In a motion filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Yuga Labs is seeking the turnover of nearly $400,000 in digital assets. This includes Bitcoin, Ethereum, and PEPE tokens. These assets are allegedly held across multiple wallets controlled by Cahen. The influencer is also known by his social media handle “Pauly0x.”
The filing is the latest battle for Yuga Labs trademark. The implications of the filing extend far beyond the confines of the NFT space. In this case it puts accountability of public figures who operate in the grey zones of regulation and online influence at stake.
The Parody That Caused Yuga Labs Trademark Infrignement
The origin of the case dates back to July 2022, when Yuga Labs sued Cahen and conceptual artist Ryder Ripps for launching the “RR/BAYC” collection. The collection was a series of NFTs that mimicked the original Bored Ape Yacht Club artwork. Ripps and Cahen positioned the collection as an act of protest. They sais that Yuga’s Bored Ape imagery contained hidden racist and Nazi symbolism. The court disagreed.
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In October 2023, U.S. District Judge John F. Walter ruled decisively in favor of Yuga Labs, awarding $1.575 million in damages and later adding $7 million in attorneys’ fees and interest, bringing the total judgment to nearly $9 million by February 2024.
Despite the court’s ruling, Yuga alleges that Cahen has made no effort to comply. Instead, the company accuses him of actively attempting to obstruct enforcement proceedings.
Asset Evasion and Legal Maneuvering
As per court documents, Cahen transferred approximately $396,946 in crypto from an account at Gemini to undisclosed wallets. It happened just one day after a levy was issued by the court. Yuga Labs contends that the timing of the transfer suggests a calculated action to evade the judgment.
“Yuga Labs has taken affirmative steps under California law, essentially every month since the Court issued its Final Judgment, to locate and execute upon Cahen’s assets,” the company said in its recent motion. “Still, Cahen has made a mockery of this Court’s Final Judgment.”
To recover the funds, Yuga has served levies through U.S. Marshals. This happened on a broad array of institutions including Coinbase, Binance, Robinhood, Gemini, Bank of America, Chase, and Wells Fargo. Additionally, the firm has subpoenaed Cahen’s accountant in an effort to trace the digital trail.
Despite these efforts, Cahen says he should not comply with post-judgment discovery while his appeal is pending. However, legal experts say that without a formal stay, something Cahen has not obtained, he remains fully subject to enforcement measures.
Cahen’s Illegal Activities Other Than Yuga Labs Trademark Infringement
The legal entanglement surrounding the Yuga Labs trademark is not Cahen’s only case.
In February 2025, authorities in Puerto Rico confirmed that Cahen had been placed on San Juan’s top 10 most wanted list in connection with an aggravated assault charge. He has denied wrongdoing but has not surrendered to authorities. Meanwhile, his latest crypto project, a decentralized exchange known as Pond0X, has been labeled a scam by critics, citing lack of transparency and vague operational details.
Cahen, who previously gained notoriety by promoting memecoins with little to no utility, has portrayed himself as a martyr of online censorship, declaring himself “the most censored man on X” following the suspension of his account in 2024.
The court has yet to rule on Yuga’s motion for a turnover order, which would force Cahen to relinquish control of the wallets holding the digital assets in question. Should the order be granted, it would set a meaningful precedent for the enforceability of IP judgments in the crypto space, an arena where anonymity and decentralization often shield actors from legal accountability.
The Bigger Picture
The case illustrates the growing tension between Web3’s libertarian ethos and the realities of legal compliance. For Yuga Labs, the aggressive enforcement of its intellectual property rights reflects not just a desire to defend its flagship brand, but a broader effort to legitimize NFT-based IP in the eyes of courts and investors alike.
The lawsuit has drawn attention not only from crypto insiders but from legal scholars and regulators grappling with the question: can digital creators asser, and enforce, traditional trademark protections in the metaverse?
With the Yuga Labs trademark now central to a court-sanctioned crypto asset chase, the outcome of this case may redefine what it means to “own” a brand in the decentralized era.
