Trollface meme creator, Carlos Ramirez, now 24 years old, explained how he arrived to create one of the Internet’s legends and how he makes money off his creation (though not a lot).
Ramirez stated that he created the Trollface meme while (attempting) to study for a college paper, having posted it on 4chan. The first ever Trollface was created in MS Paint and posted in the video game board section of the site.
“I didn’t really have any intention to share it,” Ramirez stated.”I just posted it on their video game board and I went to sleep. I woke up the next morning and saw it re-posted in a number of other threads.”
From there onward, it went on having the success it currently displays all over the Internet. In 2010, his mother encouraged him to take claim of his creation and filed a patent with the US Copyright Office, displayed in the image below.
Since then, Ramirez stated he made over $100,000 in licensing fees, settlements, and other payouts associated with Trollface. The latest is the game Meme Run, which is an endless runner filled with various Internet jokes. The developer, Ninja Pig Studios, released the game on PC and Mac for free, but Nintendo saw fit to charge for it on its console, having a price tag of $4.99 on eShop.
This was a thing Ramirez couldn’t ignore, having big name companies charge money for his patented creation without giving him a cut. He has been in contact with the developer, who states he cannot reveal the sales figure for the title due to a non-disclosure agreement signed with Nintendo.
Meme Run was eventually taken down from eShop and the company refused to comment on whether or not it was aware of the patented artwork, but given that Nintento is not your ordinary indie game company, its legal department should have undoubtedly had the knowledge of the patent being out there.
Ramirez says the Trollface nowadays is reeling in only a few thousand dollar every now and then, but he continues to enforce his ownership on the copyright.
Thank you Kotaku for providing us with this information
” he makes money off his creation (though not a lot)”
a few lines latter
“100000 dollars”
…and in the end
“a few thousand dollar every now and then”
What did you expected? Millions, to call it “a lot”?
well the internet is a big place so yea. If he enforced the copy right more heavily on companies that have used it and other sections of media he could have made big money, more than a couple thousand every once and a while. He could be making over 100k each month or so.
Well the internet is a HUGE place with millions of alternative options if you enforce the copy right of your creation heavily, which could lead in making big huge zeros each month, in the near future.