Mementum Lab Italian Brainrot Lawsuit Explained

Tracking the legal battle over intellectual-property rights to viral “Italian Brainrot” characters used in the hit Roblox game Steal a Brainrot. Although Do Big Studios is associated with Steal a Brainrot, the named plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit are Spyder Games LLC and Speedy Simulator Gaming LLC, while the defendant and counterclaimant is French company Mementum Lab.

The Dispute Began After Mementum Asserted Rights To Tung Tung Tung Sahur. Mementum Lab represents Indonesian creator Noxa, who originated the viral character Tung Tung Tung Sahur. In September 2025, Mementum contacted the developers of Steal a Brainrot over the game’s commercial use of the character. Tung Tung was subsequently removed from the game, although Mementum said it had not demanded the removal and wanted to negotiate a licensing agreement. [FORBES]

Spyder Games Sued Mementum Over Its Claimed Brainrot Copyrights. Spyder Games LLC and Speedy Simulator Gaming LLC filed suit against Mementum Lab in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on November 26, 2025. The case seeks declaratory relief concerning Mementum’s claimed intellectual-property rights in Brainrot characters used in Steal a Brainrot. [FEDERAL COURT DOCKET]

Spyder Games Argues AI-Generated Brainrot Characters Fail Copyright’s Human-Authorship Requirement. A central argument from Spyder is that Mementum cannot claim conventional copyright protection over characters such as Tung Tung Tung Sahur because their expressive imagery was generated using artificial-intelligence tools rather than created entirely by a human author. Mementum disputes that characterization and argues that the creators contributed protectable human-created elements. [GAMESBEAT]

Mementum Counter-Sued With Trademark And Unfair-Competition Claims. On April 24, 2026, Mementum filed counterclaims against Spyder Games and Speedy Simulator Gaming, including allegations of trademark infringement and unfair competition under the Lanham Act. The move broadened the fight beyond whether AI-assisted imagery can receive copyright protection and toward whether Mementum has enforceable commercial trademark rights in the characters. [FEDERAL COURT]

Mementum Says The Brainrot Characters Contain Protectable Human-Created Elements. Mementum argues that characters such as Tung Tung Tung Sahur cannot be reduced simply to raw AI output and says their creators made creative decisions involving character concepts, names, identities and other elements. Mementum’s attorney told GamesBeat that the company believes it possesses U.S. copyrights in the characters. [GAMESBEAT]

Mementum Issued A Covenant Not To Sue Spyder For Certain Copyright Infringement And Sought To End That Part Of The Case. In June 2026, Mementum moved to dismiss Spyder’s copyright dispute after issuing a covenant promising not to sue Spyder for copyright infringement over specified uses of the disputed Brainrot characters. Mementum argued that the promise eliminated the live copyright controversy, while Spyder’s attorneys argued that Mementum was attempting to prevent a court from ruling on the underlying copyright question. [GAMESBEAT]

Mementum Pointed To Its Epic Games Deal As Evidence Of Its Commercial Rights. Mementum licensed Tung Tung Tung Sahur for an official Fortnite integration with Epic Games. The company has cited that deal as important validation of its claim that the character functions as a commercially controlled trademark, while Spyder’s attorneys dispute the significance of Mementum’s licensing practices. [GAMESBEAT]

The Companies Are Fighting Over Potentially Lucrative Brainrot Licensing Revenue. Brainrot characters have moved beyond viral memes into games, merchandise and major commercial collaborations. GamesBeat reported that rights holders could potentially make hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars from brand deals and licensing, giving the dispute consequences well beyond one Roblox character. [GAMESBEAT]

A Federal Judge Rejected Mementum’s Attempt To Force Discovery Through The Hague Convention. Mementum argued that responding to Spyder’s discovery requests under ordinary U.S. procedures could violate France’s blocking statute and sought a protective order requiring Spyder to pursue evidence through the Hague Convention. On July 29, 2026, Magistrate Judge Susan van Keulen denied the request and ordered Mementum to respond under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. [FEDERAL COURT]

The Lawsuit Remains Ongoing. Both sides have sought dismissal of portions of the opposing side’s claims, and the court allowed amended pleadings in July 2026. As of August 2026, the parties were preparing for further arguments over which copyright and trademark claims could proceed, while the broader litigation schedule extends into 2027. [GAMESBEAT] [FEDERAL COURT DOCKET]