Grumpy Cat Wins Big in Lawsuit over Promotional Merchandise

By Tom Higgins

The feline internet celebrity known as Grumpy Cat may have a reason to smile following the recent result of an intellectual property dispute that stretches back to 2015.

The case itself had to do with a beverage company that had made a deal with Grumpy Cat Limited, the company founded by the cat’s owner Tabatha Bundesen in order to oversee the sale of promotional products such as T-shirts, books and pillows. Grenade, the beverage company, was given a contract to produce and sell a line of coffees under the “Grumpy Cat Grumppuccino” moniker.

However, Grenade decided to sell products outside of the agreement, including unspecified promotional merchandise and a “Grumpy Cat Roasted Coffee.” When Grumpy Cat Limited caught wind of this, it filed a federal lawsuit against Grenade for copyright infringement.

In the spirit of its feline namesake, Grumpy Cat Limited took a lighthearted approach in wording its complaint, which stated the following: “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.”

Despite a countersuit filed by Grenade—it claimed that Grumpy Cat failed to suitably promote its coffee—Grumpy Cat Limited came out victorious, and was awarded $710,001 in damages. That’s a whole lot of catnip.

Since 2012, Grumpy Cat has been a promotional powerhouse, reportedly generating millions for her owner through the sale of branded merchandise. Grumpy Cat has also served as a spokescat for brands such as Honey Nut Cheerios and Nestle’s Friskies brand of cat food.

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It’s no surprise then that Grumpy Cat Limited sought to protect its intellectual property. Grumpy Cat isn’t only a cute little cat—she’s the face of a formidable and lucrative line of promotional products.