Justices Reject Ex-Rep. King’s ‘Success Kid’ Meme Copyright Spat

Former Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) won’t get to argue to the US Supreme Court against his copyright liability for posting the ubiquitous “Success Kid” meme, nor that he’s owed fees after his settlement offer far outstripped the eventual award.

A jury found the nine-term Iowa Republican’s campaign infringed the copyright of Laney Marie Griner’s photo of her son, used in a money-soliciting post on Meta Platforms Inc.‘s Facebook that was quickly taken down. The jury awarded only $750. The King campaign’s Supreme Court petition argued Griner granted an implied license by allowing—and encouraging—widespread use of the photo, and should ...