Using Memes For Marketing? Expect To Get Copyright Notice!

By Dimensions Conent

Photo: Gratisography

There Are Two Issues With Memes

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Copyright on the meme itself

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Copyright on the image, character or name of the person, and design used in the meme.

The Story of Grumpy Cat

And The Copyright Issues That Came With It

Grenade, a coffee company in the U.S obtained a licence to use the face of Grumpy Cat for a product named Grumppuccino.  However, when the company used the image on the T-Shirts made by them, Grumpy Cat Limited sued them saying that they breached the contract.  Ultimately, the coffee company had to shell out $710,000 to pay the owners of Grumpy Cat.

Freecharge and Swiggy came up with memes that featured the image and name of the cricketer. Subsequently,  the brand manager of Prithvi – Baseline Ventures – sued the two companies and demanded 1 crore Rupees!

In 2018 Prithvi Shaw became the youngest Indian to score a century on a test debut.

So, How Can You Use Memes Legally?

Claims By Legal Eagle:

Memes Posted By a Company Can't Fall Under Fair Use