Introducing ‘Made by Apes’ Builders Club

Made by Apes is an exclusive on-chain verification platform for BAYC owners to license and commercialize the likeness of their Ape NFTs.

What is the Bored Ape Yacht Club?

BAYC is a collection of unique algorithmically generated artwork featuring anthropomorphic apes in funny costumes, represented as non-fungible tokens, and salable via smart contracts. Bored Ape NFTs are stored on the Ethereum blockchain’s public ledger, making the settlement of transactions quick and easy, and the history of ownership easily verifiable. Each Bored Ape NFT was generated by randomizing hundreds of combinations of traits.

The BAYC used the concept of a ‘Yacht Club’ to emphasize the elite status of holding a BAYC NFT, lending credibility to it hosting luxury memberships. Each Ape NFT is associated with a specific token on the Ethereum blockchain, and ownership of an Ape token grants certain privileges within the BAYC community. 

Following the smashing success of BAYC, Yuga Labs launched another collection called Mutant Ape Yacht Club as a way to expand the community as the floor price of BAYC NFTs has become out of reach for most practical senses. MAYC released 10,000 NFTs for mint, and also airdropped vials of mutant serum which could interact with their owned Bored Ape NFT characteristics, allowing them to join both clubs by minting their own unique Mutant Ape NFTs. See the Bored Ape Chemistry Club for how the Mutant Ape community got its start.

There’s also ApeCoin DAO, which launched ApeCoin back in 2022. It offers a platform for BAYC community members to submit proposals for deliberation by token holders who use their $APE to vote on them. Therefore, every token holder has an incentive to participate in the DAO as well as act in the community’s best interests. Yuga has even dipped their toes into the metaverse with their Otherside launch.

Furthermore, BAYC and MAYC members are granted access to exclusive IRL events, online communities, games, contests and giveaways, and now Intellectual Property (IP) licensing opportunities related to the Bored Ape brand and the likeness of a BAYC NFT-holder’s Ape. That’s where Made by Apes comes into play, offering BAYC members a positive feedback loop for marketing BAYC IP with both individual and community incentives aligned.

What is the ‘Made by Apes’ Platform?

Since the initial launch of the BAYC collection in 2021, lots of interesting projects have sprung up using the likeness of users’ Bored Ape NFT. Celebrities share the likeness of their own Bored or Mutant Ape NFTs and users have had access to games, message boards, and even private events – but now the ecosystem is expanding past pop culture and into the world of commercialized IP rights for product branding. 

However, the IP rights of these products was murky to say the least, and the demand from owners to maintain the exclusive rights to their Ape NFT’s IP has now given rise to the Made by Apes platform. To request a license, BAYC holders must first connect the wallet address associated with their Ape NFTs, selecting between the options of Primary License and Product License.

The entire concept of Made by Apes is bullish for the NFT industry as it showcases the kind of positive feedback loop that arises from users marketing their startup ideas alongside the BAYC brand and ecosystem. As these startups gain traction, more users become aware of Bored Apes, NFTs, the Web3 sector at large. 

Everybody wins: the creators win, community, builders, small business owners, and consumers; few other Web2 or Web3 brands have this type of alpha with which to bless their user base. This business model will disrupt the status quo in a variety of ways, so let’s get into the opportunities that the Made by Apes platform provides.

How the ‘Made by Apes’ Licensing Process Works

Each Primary License is associated with a specific Ape NFT, which is indicated by the first five numbers of the license number. Under the Primary License umbrella, holders can add Product Licenses, license a variety of products using the likeness of the Ape on the Primary License. There is currently no restriction on how many Product Licenses a Primary License holder can utilize.

For instance, selling your NFT on a line of hats, and then using the same Ape on the bottles of a small batch of craft beer, you would need to register for two Product Licenses. That is to say that a Primary License is a prerequisite for licensing the BAYC IP for individual product offerings.

Subsequently, license holders can proudly show off the Made by Apes logo within their own projects alongside of their owned and licensed NFTs. Of course, the community logo can’t be altered, and the logo can’t be featured more prominently than the holder’s licensed NFT.

The ‘Made by Apes’ Bodega Classifieds

BAYC members who join the Made by Apes program will also have their respective goods and services featured in a browsable directory called The Bodega which showcases Made by Ape licensees. It’s effectively a one-stop-shop for all of the officially-licensed BAYC and MAYC products that have successfully registered.

The Bodega advances a new precedent and practical framework for settling NFT ownership and commercialization disputes using a public registration and verification system. Potential consumers can also verify for themselves whether or not a BAYC product is legitimate before purchasing products. 

For instance, there’s Bored Coffee, featuring Ape #9006 to accompany their Indonesian Raja Batak Peaberry blend and #6942 for their Blue Fur Blend. You can also mint your own Mutant Grape Wine Club NFT, which includes a case of 6 bottles of blended red wine.

If your dog is hungry, you can check out Bored Treats, or prepare for your next cookout with some Face Melting Hot Sauces from a Mutant Ape. Perhaps you like to indulge in caffeine, in which case the Bored Breakfast Club will keep you stocked up with gourmet, BAYC-themed coffee. Sorry, but you’re too late to get your hands on Ape Water, it’s all sold out.

Moving Forward

The past few years have established BAYC and MAYC and powerhouse NFT brands with sticky demand. High net worth individuals obviously have sought after this collection, as evidenced by the elevated floor price of both communities. This solid foundation and experienced team should give us confidence that Made by Apes will demonstrate a great deal of success. 

Yuga Labs has been transparent about reaching milestones, announcing and successfully hosting IRL events, and launching BAYC-themed products within reasonable dates as announced in their roadmaps. With so many tangible deliverables having been delivered, the BAYC community and Yuga Labs developers have gained quite a bit of goodwill regarding their commitment to build new products, revenue streams, and fresh milestones set for the future.

By the way, make sure to check out the Made by Apes Bodega regularly for Supra’s upcoming drop. You heard it here first, folks.

Note: none of the above should be considered endorsements nor investment advice, but rather for entertainment or educational purposes only.

Read Next

• Bored Ape Yacht Club: How Does it Work?
• ApeCoin, ApeCoin DAO, & the Otherside
• NFT-Based Memberships, Tokengating, and How Major Names are Leveraging the Power of Web3