Web sensation Grumpy Cat now has a real reason to be grumpy.
Her owners alleged that a company that licensed the cat's image for use in the sale of its coffee beverages has overstepped its bounds by using Grumpy's image on other items not covered in the licensing agreement.
A lawsuit was first filed at the end of last year, and now Grumpy's owners have just filed for a default judgement, alleging that the company in question, Grenade Beverage, has not adequately defended itself against the lawsuit. In the interim, the website on which Grenade has been selling its Grumpy coffee products is currently "unavailable" with a "We'll be back soon" message posted to its splash page.
Grumpy, whose real name is Tardar Sauce, is arguably the most famous cat on web, no small feat for an internet that regularly features thousands of cat videos, images and memes. Grumpy's sour facial expression is not really a reflection of her mood, but instead a result of two conditions, feline dwarfism combined with an underbite.
In 2012, Grumpy took the web by storm when the brother of the cat's owner posted a picture of her on the web. Since then, the cat has gone on to star in countless memes, receive more than 8 and a half million Facebook likes, and appear on a slew of large, respected media outlets.
Grumpy has been featured on all three major broadcast networks: NBC News' "Today Show," ABC News' "Good Morning America" and The CBS Evening News, was named the year's most influential cat by MSNBC in 2012 and won BuzzFeed's Meme of the Year Award at the 2013 Webby Awards. Grumpy starred in a 2014 Lifetime movie titled "Grumpy Cat's Worst Christmas Ever", and her book hit the New York Times Bestseller list. Stuffed animal replicas of the cat are officially produced and sold by Gund, with smaller plushies also available from other manufacturers.
Obviously Grumpy Cat has become big business for its owners, who are seeking to protect their future interests against Grenade and also requesting $600,000 in damages. They claim that they never authorized Grenade to sell additional coffee products and T-shirts featuring Grumpy's image.
"Not only was the Infringing Product never approved by Plaintiff under the License Agreement, but the packaging and marketing materials for the Infringing Product....primarily and exclusively incorporate Plaintiff's exclusive intellectual property, including the Grumpy Cat Copyrights and the Grumpy Cat Trademarks," according to their complaint. However, even if Grumpy and her owners win the judgement they are seeking, Grumpy is highly unlikely to crack a smile.
