A purr-fect ending for Grumpy Cat is a $710K win in court
Grumpy Cat/<a href=https://www.shutterstock.com/g/jstone”>JStone (Shutterstock.com).
Star of memes Grumpy Cat has a savvy owner who's leveraged the feline's sourpuss face to produce branded products, score a commercial spot and obtain a “spokescat” deal.
And now Grumpy Cat Limited has a court win for copyright and trademark infringement in a suit against a beverage company that had a licensing deal to produce iced coffee beverages called “Grumpy Cat Grumppuccino.”
Jurors in Santa Ana, California, awarded $710,001 to Grumpy Cat Limited on Monday, report Courthouse News Service, the Washington Post and NPR,
Grumpy Cat Limited claimed Grenade Beverage violated the licensing deal when it used the Grumpy Cat name for unauthorized products, violating Grumpy Cat’s copyrighted and trademarked name and image. Grumpy Cat Limited also alleged breach of contract.
Grenade Beverage claimed in a $12 million countersuit that Grumpy Cat Limited didn’t do enough to promote the coffee.
But jurors ruled against Grenade Beverage on its counterclaim. All but $1 of the verdict was for copyright and trademark infringement; the remainder was for the contract breach.
Grumpy Cat made a brief appearance at the trial, but was not present for closing arguments, according to Courthouse News Service.
