Grumpy Cat gets six tons of compensation

amsterdam - Finally something to be cheerful about for the 'Grumpy Cat'. After a lawsuit against an American coffee shop about the use of his image, the spooky cat gets a compensation of 710,000 dollars (572,000 euros).

Tardar sauce, as the animal is actually called, owes its striking look to a combination of dwarfism and an underbite. The beast became an internet sensation in 2012, and its owners make grateful use of it. For example, in 2013 it signed a contract with the Californian coffee shop Grenade. For 150,000 dollars, that company is allowed to use the image of the cat for a special type of cappuccino, the 'Grumppucino'.

But Grenade used the image of the cat for even more products, such as normal coffee and T-shirts. Unlawfully, a court in California has now ruled. The cat, incidentally, was present during the trial, but was absent when the verdict was pronounced.