5 May 2013
Warner Bros. and 5th Cell Media, the makers of the Scribblenauts game, have been sued for copyright and trademark infringement.
The creators of the “Keyboard Cat” and “Nyan Cat” memes have files a lawsuit in a federal court in California, claiming damages for the unauthorized use of their creations.
In the suit the plaintiffs mention that Warner Bros. has a history of protecting their own WB logo meme, and now the tables have turned.
“The “WB” logo also is a meme, even though it is only two letters inside 25 the outline of a shield. Of course, WB employs an army of lawyers who use trademark and copyright law to zealously protect its intellectual property, including its logo,” they write in the complaint.
“Yet, for the past three years, WB, along with game developer 5th, have knowingly and intentionally infringed plaintiffs’ copyrights and trademarks by using “Nyan Cat” and Patso’s image in WB’s top selling “Scribblenauts” games,” they add.
The meme creators demand that Warner Bros. and 5th no longer use their trademarks and request damages to compensate their losses.