Published 13:58 IST, January 30th 2020
Republican Steve King uses 'Success Kid' meme, mother threatens to sue
The mother of the boy in the 'Success kid' meme has recently sent Rep. Steve King a cease-and-desist letter after the image was used in a fundraising campaign.
The mother of the boy in the 'Success kid' meme has reportedly sent Rep. Steve King a cease-and-desist letter after the image was used in a fundraising campaign ad for his re-election. According to international media reports, the Attorneys for Laney Griner sent King and his campaign the letter on January 27 stating that the lawmakers were infringing on her copyright and violating her son's rights by using the image in an advertisement with the words 'Fund our memes'.
According to reports, the letter read that 'Success kid' became a viral sensation and is beloved by millions of Americans, however, it further states that the use of the meme for the campaign ad has 'harmed and continues to harm' that well-earned goodwill. Griner also took to Twitter and said that King and his campaign did not have her permission to use the photo of her son and called in the member of Congress to immediately remove the image from his campaign.
In another tweet, Griner also said that she “does not endorse Representative King and, like most people, I strongly disagree with his views”. She further also added that Rep. King should remove 'Success Kid' from his webpages and immediately issue a statement to acknowledge that the image was taken without her permission and endorsement. She also demanded for a refund of money his campaign received from 'misusing Success kid'.
'We regret the unauthorised use'
After the letter, the link to WinRed ad had been removed from King's Facebook. Rep. King has served in Congress since 2003 and reportedly has a history of making racist statements. According to reports, he has also spoken in support of white nationalism and against immigration and further made remarks defending incest and rape. However, King, in a recent Facebook post also apologised and 'regretted' the unauthorised use of the 'success kid' meme.
Updated 13:58 IST, January 30th 2020