What Does Impact Font’s Lawsuit Mean For the Meme Industry?

Like it or not, Impact font has been an industry staple since the beginning. via i can has

The meme industry has had a long and storied history over the years. From the early hits of Dancing Baby and ROFLcopter, to the modern greats of Harambe and Is this a Pigeon?, it’s safe to say that memes aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

However, this growth may come crashing to a halt. On October 4th, 2019, Impact Font, an associate of many best-known memes, announced that it was suing the top memes in the industry. Officially known as Impact Font v Memes this case is set to change the meme landscape if Impact Font wins.

Many might not know Impact Font by name, but its position as one of the most important factors in developing the early meme industry is difficult to debate. Impact was the font of choice for meme superstars such as Bad Luck Brian and Awkward Penguin. Meme styles sporting top and bottom text superimposed upon an image most likely use Impact. As such, Impact has long been a silent play-maker in the growing meme world. Impact was the font of choice for these celebrities, and now it seems Impact is tired of watching quietly.

According to official reports, Impact has sued a conglomeration of the highest-grossing memes that partnered with it. Impact’s lawyers claim that the failure to credit the font resulted it in not getting the same level of fame that the memes it partnered with, despite contributing majorly to them. A second issue brought up by Impact’s lawyers is that the memes have no made efforts to stop unlicensed meme generators from using Impact’s intellectual property. Lawyers for both parties have declined any comment, but rumor has it that the defendants may cite the landmark Comic Sans v School Assignments case as grounds for dismissal of the suit. 

If impact font wins, meme generators may face further regulations. via Know Your meme

As of reporting, the battle is still ongoing, but if Impact wins, the meme industry may face similar lawsuits in the future. Impact isn’t the only font that’s found popularity, as many smaller fonts have found jobs serving as “meme labels.” In rough legal terms, a “meme label” is any font that is placed on an image, not on the top and bottom. Impact’s victory could set a precedent for these smaller fonts to sue as well.

The meme industry could also see the stricter regulation of meme generators, resulting in a slowed production of memes in the future. While the industry has relied on a self-regulating and internal quality control system, we may see independent regulatory bodies be formed to ensure fair use of fonts. The rapid-fire, dime-a-dozen style of meme creation we’re currently used to would slow down to ensure that use of memes and their fonts are within their legal rights.

Whatever the verdict is, we here at Meme Magazine are sure that it will have a massive impact on the future of the industry.

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Jonathan Jeffrey

Jonathan Jeffrey is the Managing Editor of Meme Magazine. Jonathan has received several awards in the fields of meme journalism, and international fame for breaking the Scumbag Steve scandal. He has a masters degree in Advanced Meme Physchology, as well as a minor in Meme Journalism at KYM University.

"Daily Struggle" Man Sues Button Company

It was with difficulty that Mr. Struggle decided to let us use this. (Image made with imgflip)

If you are someone who can relate to the stress of making difficult decisions, then you probably recognize the “Daily Struggle” meme. In the image, a man sweats as he tries to choose between two labeled buttons to press. That man has recently come forward and reached out to us at Meme Magazine. He claims that the image is the surface of a darker truth for him.

“Mr. Struggle” (he could not decide whether to tell us his real name) spent five years working at the “Buttons-a-Plenty” corporation. The company manufactures and tests physical press-buttons of varying uses for market. Some of their products have seen great commercial success due to their novelty and use in memes. One example is the famous “Nut Button,” which itself became a meme in 2015.

During the testing phase of the buttons, they are delivered to testers in pairs. The tester then has to press each one and decide which should be packaged. When Struggle put in his resume to the company early in 2014, he applied for a position in packaging and specifically asked to be kept away from testing.

The reason? Struggle suffers from “Aboulomania,” a mental disorder which causes an individual to be pathologically indecisive. Struggle explained further in an interview with Meme Magazine:

“I asked not to be given a testing position because my disorder makes choosing very stressful for me. It may seem funny, but it’s not for the person who has it.”

Despite his request being accompanied by a medical note explaining his condition, Struggle was hired to the role of testing.

“I asked to be transferred right away,” he explained. “But they told me I need to learn to ‘press my own buttons,’ if I’m to succeed in life and work. They wouldn’t even change the testing method. They just kept sending me two and expected me to choose between them. It was too hard trying to choose another job, so I stayed and I’ve been suffering since.”

Things only got worse when a pair of photos was taken of a sweaty Struggle trying to choose between two buttons. “BE A DICK” and “DON’T BE A DICK” were labeled over the buttons, and the photos were uploaded to the internet. “Daily Struggle” has since become a choice meme of varying tones—from cute, to political to self-detrimental.

For Struggle however, the constant jokes about not being able to decide have only added salt to the wound. Tired of the torment, he left Buttons-a-Plenty last month and is now suing the company for $100,000,000 for “psychological damages and emotional distress.” He hopes that the settlement will provide a fresh start in his life with little choice and little stress.

Buttons-a-Plenty are no less confident, however. While it is yet to be seen how they will handle the lawsuit, Burton Presley, the CEO of the company shared this statement with our team:

“Mr. Struggle will soon learn that life is full of decisions you cannot hide from. A life of tough but rewarding work or a life of cowardice and shame—That is the choice he now faces.”

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/daily-struggle

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Brandi-Anne Hibbs

Brandi-Anne Hibbs has been quietly stalking and observing memes for over a decade, but still doesn’t quite understand their nature. Nevertheless, she’s dedicated to making sense of them through writing!