Artist Accused of Hijacking Kitten Meme for Profit; Lawsuit Sparks Meme Ownership Debate

By Molly Derwin — Culture & IP Correspondent

Published: September 22, 2025

In a bizarre twist in the saga of the viral "Everybody Gets a Kitten" movement, an internet artist known as "Kitstrator" is being sued for allegedly filing fraudulent DMCA takedown notices in an attempt to claim authorship of a now-iconic kitten graphic.

The lawsuit, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleges that Kitstrator attempted to retroactively claim ownership of the red-white-and-blue kitten silhouette that has become symbolic of the meme-turned-slogan. The plaintiff, a parody musician who goes by "Lil Catbox", claims the image was first posted anonymously in open remix forums weeks before Kitstrator uploaded a slightly altered version and began filing copyright claims.

"This is a classic case of trying to slap a name tag on a joke that belonged to everyone," said Angela Mehta, Lil Catbox's attorney. "Our client used the image in a satirical song, in a way that was clearly transformative and protected under fair use. These takedowns were both bogus and harmful."

Court filings allege that Kitstrator sent at least a dozen takedown notices to creators across platforms including YouTube, Redbubble, and even Bandcamp, resulting in several content removals and account suspensions. The complaint accuses the artist of violating Section 512(f) of the DMCA by knowingly submitting false claims.

The meme, which originated as a surreal slogan about universal feline distribution, gained traction over the summer before being co-opted by the satirical Feline Distribution Front (FDF). Though the FDF is not a party to the lawsuit, it removed all branded content featuring the disputed image last week, citing "unverified authorship concerns."

Experts say the case raises thorny questions about authorship, attribution, and the cultural commons of internet-born content.

"We’ve never really settled how ownership works when something goes from message board joke to national talking point overnight," said Professor Eli Tran, who teaches internet law at Stanford. "And when meme culture intersects with political parody? That's a legal gray cat."

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for early October. Kitstrator has not responded to requests for comment.