You know her and you love her. And now in addition to being more wildly famous than you, she’s also that much richer. Her name? Tardar Sauce. Otherwise known as the one and only Grumpy Cat, the cat whose scowl went viral back in 2012 and went on to launch a thousand memes.
Like this one posted by the Instagram user, @grumpycatmemestagram:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbO_zn1HpMG/?taken-by=grumpycatmemestagram
The below was an incredibly popular meme back in the day too.
Grumpy Cat: I had fun once… #meme #funny #lol #lmao #pics #photo #picture #hilarious #comedy #joke #jokes #memes pic.twitter.com/sntcuKmx5z
— Media Godzilla (@MediaGodzilla) May 27, 2014
Since then, Grumpy Cat’s face has been found on all sorts of merchandise including mugs, shirts, bags, phone cases and she’s even has starred in her own original movie, “Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.” She’s also made appearances on the “Today” show, “Good Morning America” and “American Idol.”
Not to mention that she’s been immortalized as a wax figure at Madame Tussauds wax museums in major cities around the world and has starred in cat food ads, naturally. She even appeared in a Honey Nut Cheerios commercial.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BbcqwRzhKxY/?taken-by=realgrumpycat
Well, Grumpy Cat has just hit another payday, after winning a lawsuit against a coffee company, Grenade Beverage, that misused her images. How dare they, right?
According to Business Insider, Grumpy Cat Limited, a company formed by her owner Tabatha Bundesen, has been awarded $710,001 in damages after the company broke the terms of a deal to use the cat on its products.
It started in 2013 when the owners of Grenade Beverage signed a licensing deal with Grumpy Cat. The deal was for the company to launch one Grumpy-themed drink for $150,000. The owners of the coffee company made the mistake of launching a second drink without permission, reports the Washington Post.
This heated intellectual property dispute between Grumpy Cat Limited and the Grenade Beverage has gone on since 2015.
https://www.instagram.com/p/-t10KGRh_O/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_ufi
Grumpy Cat alleged that Grenade breached the terms of the deal when they launched “Grumpy Cat Roasted Coffee.”
“Ironically, while the world-famous feline Grumpy Cat and her valuable brand are most often invoked in a tongue-and-cheek fashion, Defendants’ despicable misconduct here has actually given Grumpy Cat and her owners something to be grumpy about,” the complaint stated.
A jury agreed and this week awarded Grumpy Cat $710,001 in damages.
https://www.instagram.com/p/_KfH_NRh8j/
So what have we learned? Never to mess with Grumpy Cat. You’ll never win.
Chelsea is a freelance journalist based in New York City whose passion revolves around exploring the world, immersing herself in foreign cultures, and of course, eating and drinking everything delicious. She covers all things food, drink and travel and is always up for an adventure, whether that means an adrenaline-pumping excursion or trying a new cuisine. Follow her on Instagram at @cheycheyfromthebay and keep up with her latest work at www.chelseadavis.com and at her blog www.cheycheyfromthebay.com. More.
