Yuga Labs sells CryptoPunks rights to the Infinite Node Foundation

Yuga Labs sold the intellectual property rights to its flagship NFT collection, CryptoPunks. The Infinite Node Foundation (NODE) is now the holder of the CryptoPunks art. 

CryptoPunks once again changed hands, as Yuga Labs sold the IP rights to the iconic collection to the Infinite Node Foundation (NODE). 

Yuga Labs held the CryptoPunks rights from March 2022 onward, when it also acquired the IP of the Meebits NFT. The collection was launched by its small original team, Larva Labs, in 2017, and took years to reach its influence. 

The Infinite Node Foundation announced its new responsibility to preserve the collection through its X account. 

The Infinite Node Foundation (NODE) is pleased to announce the acquisition of the intellectual property of @cryptopunksnfts from @yugalabs.

Launched by Larva Labs in 2017, CryptoPunks are widely regarded as the catalyst for the modern digital art movement. Their $3.07B in sales… pic.twitter.com/RQ6apT8A3o

— NODE (@nodefnd) May 13, 2025

After the IP acquisition, Larva Labs founders and artists Matt Hall and John Watkinson will return with new guidance roles. The goal of the acquisition is to preserve the collection from digital decay, ensuring the permanence of the NFT. 

Yuga Labs itself has been busy marketing and curating the collection in events and presentations. The co-founder of Yuga Labs recalled previous events in major art galleries, treating CryptoPunks as deserving digital art. 

NFT holders also have the commercial rights to their images, allowing them to reproduce and sell merchandise. The collection has 4,133 owners, with multiple crypto influencers choosing the images as their avatar.

CryptoPunks floor price spikes to six-month high

CryptoPunks remains the collection with the highest price floor, at over 47 ETH at the time of the acquisition. The collection’s floor price shot up to a six-month peak, though still far from the all-time high from 2021 at over 113 ETH. Individual sales picked up in the past day, with one of the Punks changing hands at 148 ETH.

The collection has reportedly reached trading volumes above $3B during its lifetime. Punks were also offered through Sotheby’s auctions, becoming one of the iconic images of crypto culture. 

The collection was copied with variations on multiple chains and platforms, becoming a model for other NFT cults. However, as with other NFTs, there is no single standard to preserving and hosting the images. The removal of NFT platforms or updates may threaten the digital art. 

The Infinite Node Foundation, created in 2025 by Micky Malka and Becky Kleiner, will use its endowment and resources to preserve the collection of 10,000 CryptoPunks. The Foundation will run its own crypto node, ensuring protection on the technical side. In terms of digital art, the Node Foundation plans exhibitions and curated events to showcase the collection. 

All owners will retain rights to trade their NFT. However, the trading of IP rights once again puts a question on the permanence of NFT collections and their digital future without dedicated preservation.

Yuga Labs will still retain its ownership of Punks, after donating five selected images to the Infinite Node Foundation. The company will remain engaged by providing advice and leadership in preserving the influence of the collection.

NFT volumes have fallen in the past few years, with only blue-chip collections surviving. Ethereum remains the busiest chain for NFT trading, though with the highest reported wash trades.

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