A sharp legal team is crucial, beca

A sharp legal team is crucial, because Grumpy Cat’s ability to make money depends on protecting her likeness, a problem meme-based celebrities are especially vulnerable to. “The difference between products that are pushed onto people versus things that grow organically is that people think because the crowd made it famous, without any effort from the creator, then the creator has somehow forfeited his ownership rights,” Kamran says. The forces that are pirating Grumpy Cat’s image are not just kids selling sweatshirts on Etsy—though that happens. Major companies are also attempting to trade on the popularity of the meme. Kamran recently settled a suit with Warner Bros. on behalf of Keyboard Cat and Nyan Cat for copyright and trademark infringement.