A cat who shot to fame because of its permanent frown has won a £500,000 payout in a copyright case.
Tardar Sauce became an internet sensation after a picture emerged of her scowl due to feline dwarfism in 2012. US coffee company Grenade spotted her and asked owner Tabatha Bundesen if they could come up with a deal over the use of the cat’s image. Before agreeing, Tabatha formed Grumpy Cat Limited to sell the cats image.
It was then agreed that the company only had rights to use the cat to sell its ‘Grumpuccino’ iced drink but it then went on to sell other products too. The Grumpy Cat picture appeared on Grenade’s roasted coffee line as well as T-shirts, which weren’t part of the deal.
In response, Grumpy Cat Ltd sued Grenade’s owners for exceeding an agreement over the cat’s image.
Though coffee bosses filed a countersuit, claiming Grumpy Cat didn’t hold up its end of the deal, the jury found in favour of the car and awarded it $701,000 (£500,000). Following the victory, the cat’s lawyer, David Jonelis of Lavely & Singer, said: ‘I think, first of all, that it’s a just verdict.
The jury followed the law and facts and reached a verdict that was justified based on the law and the facts. ‘It’s nice that my client’s rights were vindicated on this. It was a hard-fought battle.’