Success Kid or Grumpy Cat: How A New Small Claims Copyright Court Could Change What You Can Do Online

The photo in every meme you've ever shared has an owner. And now there's a new way for those owners to get paid if their image is used. The Small Claims Copyright Court was, strangely, one of the things created in Congress' latest spending bill, which also included COVID-19 stimulus funding. Copyright lawyers say the spirit of the new court is not to tamp down on online fun, but to hold corporations accountable for using images without paying for them.