Eternally Frowning Grumpy Cat Awarded $701,000 Following Copyright Lawsuit

One of this decade’s biggest meme superstars was recently at the center of some legal drama over brand infringement. On Monday, a California jury sided with Grumpy Cat Limited, the branding company started by the owner of the internet’s unhappiest cat. Grumpy Cat was awarded more than $700,000 in damages, the Washington Post reported.

Grumpy Cat Limited was founded to monetize the famously upset-looking feline, which rose to stardom as an internet meme in 2012. In 2013, he company struck a deal with Grenade, a beverage company, for the purpose of manufacturing and marketing Grumpy Cat Grumppuccino iced coffee. Two years later, Grenade made Grumpy Cat roasted coffee, which was not part of the agreement, hence the lawsuit from Grumpy Cat Limited.

Though Grenade alleged Grumpy Cat Limited did not hold up its end of the bargain on several fronts either, the Santa Ana, California jury sided with the cat’s owners. The cat actually appeared in court, according to the Washington Post report.

Grumpy Cat is actually named Tardar Sauce, and she became a star of the image macro meme format nearly six years ago due to facial deformities that make her appear eternally displeased. Memes with punchlines like “I had fun once...it was awful” fueled a meteoric rise that led to myriad TV appearances, a Lifetime Network movie and even a guest spot on WWE’s “Monday Night Raw,” in which the cat hammed it up with wrestler The Miz.

Grumpy Cat’s shelf life as a meme may have expired, but the news was enough to become a Twitter Moment, full of plenty of reactions.