xQc, Hasan, more referenced in Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT infringement lawsuit
Twitch: xQc / Twitch: HasanAbiTop Twitch stars xQc, Hasan, and MoistCr1TiKaL have been referenced in a counterclaim against Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT owners Yuga Labs, as part of a defense to a copyright infringement lawsuit surrounding a specific protest, RR/BAYC.
Some of Twitch’s biggest names have been dragged into a major lawsuit between NFT minter Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and two individuals who started a protest ‘mint’ to highlight alleged connections between the project and “subversive internet nazi troll culture.”
Yuga Labs sued Ryder Ripps and Jeremy Cahen on June 24 for false advertising, trademark infringement, and more.
While a judge denied the defendant’s initial filing almost in full, pushing ten causes of action forward in Yuga Labs’ favor, the duo’s counter suit has thrown top Twitch streamers into the mix.
This includes Felix ‘xQc’ Lengyel, Hasan ‘HasanAbi’ Piker, and Charles ‘MoistCr1TiKaL’ White. The trio, among other top content creators, haven’t been named as parties to the suit, but rather referenced in the defense.
It built a narrative around the growing protest around NFTs and specifically BAYC, noting the stars were critical in getting the #BURNBAYC movement going.
“Social media influencers and celebrity YouTubers have been using the #BURNBAYC hashtag, which began trending the same week the RR/BAYC collection sold out,” the suit claimed. “The question of whether BAYC is racist has become a ‘viral debate’ and mainstream newspapers reported that #BURNBAYC is a ‘public opinion storm’ and ‘too large to ignore.’”
However the mention blindsided those named: “What’s happening?” Hasan asked on stream. “Am I going to court? What the f**k?”
Ripps, on his website selling the RR/BAYC tokens, claimed “through months of intensive research, myself and other community members have discovered extensive connections between BAYC and subversive internet nazi troll culture.”
This led him to start the RR/BAYC project where “the original BAYC images are recontextualized – illuminating truths about their origins and meanings as well as the nature of Web3 – the power of NFTs to change meaning, establish provenance and evade censorship.
“RR/BAYC uses satire and appropriation to protest and educate people regarding The Bored Ape Yacht Club and the framework of NFTs. The work is an extension of and in the spirit of other artists who have worked within the field of appropriation art.”
The new counter filing looks to dismiss Yuga Labs’ claims, as well as push for damages due to emotional distress. Whether the Twitch stars will be called up to court though remains to be seen.