The plaintiff in the Grumpy Cat case is a limited partnership created to manage the trademark for "Grumpy Cat," a cat from Arizona who has gained substantial internet fame. She has appeared in commercials and books, and on the packaging for various products. She was even the subject of a movie in 2014. As of early May 2018, she has over 2.5 million followers on Instagram and 1.5 million followers on Twitter.
The plaintiff entered into a license agreement with the defendant in 2013 to use the cat's likeness on a coffee beverage known as "Grumpuccino." According to the complaint, the plaintiff learned in late 2015 that the defendant planned "to create and exploit a line of 'Grumpy Cat' branded roasted coffee ground products," unrelated to Grumpuccino. Grumpy Cat, complaint at 7. The plaintiff declined to approve this use of the trademark, but the defendant proceeded to launch the new product. The lawsuit followed. A jury found that the defendants infringed the trademark and awarded damages to the plaintiff.
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