Ex-Congressman’s Meme Fight Faces Long Odds at Supreme Court

Flaws in former Rep. Steve King’s petition asking the Supreme Court to rethink copyright liability for meme posting will likely hold back the bid for clarity and legal fees, attorneys said.

The nine-term Iowa Republican told the justices he’d wrongly been held liable for posting—and quickly taking down—the “Success Kid” meme on his campaign Facebook page, arguing he had an implied license because the photo was so widely shared. The owner of the copyright should at least owe attorneys’ fees incurred after he offered a $15,000 settlement, which she rejected before winning just $750 at trial, King argued, describing the ...