IPWatchdog

Viral, Valuable, and Potentially Costly: Who Owns Memes?

A meme can travel from a private joke to a global advertising campaign before its creator – or the owner of the image behind it – has time to object. Coined by Richard Dawkins in 1976 to describe a unit of cultural transmission that replicates and mutates as it spreads, “memes” include reaction GIFs, catchphrases, and familiar templates such as “Distracted Boyfriend” and “Surprised Pikachu.” For brands and creators, that speed and reach can be irresistible: the right meme, deployed at the right

By IPWatchdog

1 min read
Viral, Valuable, and Potentially Costly: Who Owns Memes?
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