Grumpy Cat Token Creator Accused of Copyright Infringement
Grumpy Cat Limited, a company famously established on the "grumpy cat" meme, has accused the creator of a token bearing the same name of copyright infringement via an NFT notice.
In the notice, the company emphasizes that it never permitted the use of its trademarks for the cryptocurrency, domain name, or any similar imagery, which could potentially mislead customers. It ends by threatening legal action against the entire team if they don't stop disseminating the digital asset or halt any other activities linked to Grumpy Cat.
The token is described on its official website as a worthless joke coin operating on the Ethereum blockchain, which provides no income to users but instead aims to dethrone the popularity of PEPE. Although the project disclaims any connection with the original meme, upon closer scrutiny, it's evident that the authors are intentionally capitalizing on the reputation of the famed brand, despite their own distinct illustrations.
The main page of the Grumpy Cat token website. Source: The official Grumpy Cat token website.
In a world where meme tokens built on popular content or an entire brand are commonplace, it's no surprise to see another one surfacing. This time, the project's spokesperson is well-known crypto blogger Glauber Contessoto, who acknowledged the accusations made against him and promised to address the legal matters. He later announced that all legal issues had been resolved. However, his only amendment was to the domain name; the title and images remained unchanged, with Contessoto attributing this to creative originality. This development saw a positive response in the token's price.
Grumpy Cat Limited, however, maintained their stance and issued a fresh official notice. The company stated that the token creator blatantly ignored their main objections and was misleading users by claiming that the issues were resolved. They added that such deceptive cryptocurrencies would never receive their approval.
Any representations by these persons attempting to promote these coins remain scams and lies. Don't be victimized. Don't enrich scammers and intellectual property thieve© Grumpy Cat Limited's official statement
It'll be intriguing to see how the situation evolves if Grumpy Cat Limited chooses to litigate. Given that Glauber Contessoto is a high-profile individual, he could be held accountable (with potential blocking or fines) despite the project's self-criticism and partial support from the crypto community. Keep in mind, producing such relatively inconsequential "shitcoins" can take less than fifteen seconds.
