Grumpy Cat is one of the Internet's biggest stars who, not long after he began life as a popular meme, transformed into a global brand that is instantly recognized by the vast majority of people on this planet. Today, BBC News is reporting that the famous feline has scored a big win in court, earning a $710,000 payout as the result of a copyright lawsuit decision.
The losers in the lawsuit? Coffee company Grenade, who apparently overstepped their bounds when it came to their licensing agreement with the Grumpy Cat brand. They were only authorized to sell their "Grumppuccino" iced drink (pictured below), but sold other Grumpy products as well. In 2013, Grenade Beverage, which is owned by Nick and Paul Sandford, closed a deal worth $150,000 to market iced coffee beverages using the cat's likeness, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the meme. Clearly, they were a little too eager to reap those benefits.
In a nasty back-and-forth that dragged both sides through the mud for breach of contract, a California federal jury finally sided with the cat (whose real name is Tardar Sauce) and her owners, which has resulted in $710,000 in damages for copyright and trademark infringement to be paid to the company that deals with all of the Grumpy Cat branding deals. The cat, who made an appearance during the court proceedings earlier on in January, was not present when the verdict was handed down.
We'd like to say that brought a smile to her face, but realistically, that's doubtful at best.