A cat that became an overnight sensation on the internet because of her gloomy expression won USD 710,000 payout in a copyright lawsuit. The cat who is famously known as Grumpy Cat went viral globally in the year 2012 as she always had the moody face. The cat’s photo was uploaded by the cat owner’s brother on Reddit. Many believed that her grumpy face could be due feline dwarfism and an underbite. The Grumpy Cat is now is not only a renowned internet meme but also a lucrative brand. It has its own company named Grumpy Cat Ltd which is handled by cat’s owner.
OMG! Grumpy Cat to get waxed at Madame Tussauds Museum and she’s absolutely grumpy about it!
Recently Grump Cat Limited had sued an American coffee company named Grenade after they broke the terms of an agreement over the use of the Grumpy cat’s image. In the year 2013, Grenade’s owners closed a deal of USD 150,000 to serve coffee with cat’s face called “Grumppucinos”. But the Grumpy Cat’s owners said that the coffee company went beyond the contract when they also started selling roasted coffee and Grumppucino T-Shirts featuring the cat’s face. The coffee brand had also countersued them and said how the cat was not allowed to be a part of social media promotion and they also complained how the cat also didn’t appear in a movie as planned.
The jury sided with the cat and ordered Grenade to pay USD 750,000 and USD 1 as nominal damage fee for breach of contract. “We asked the jury what they thought was right and they came to the right conclusion,” Grumpy Cat’s lawyer David Jonelis, told AFP. He also said that it was the first time when an internet meme won in court. Reportedly, the five-year-old cat whose real name is Tardar Sauce was also present in the court during the trial. Any thoughts? Sound off in the comments below.