The viral sensation
If you have spent any time on TikTok or YouTube lately, you have probably seen Tung Tung Tung Sahur—also known as Triple T. The character is an anthropomorphized drum (a kentongan) with a huge smile and a vacant stare, part of the weird and wonderful "Italian brain rot" internet genre. Created in 2025 by an Indonesian teen using OpenAI’s image tools, the character has become a total vibe, popping up everywhere from fan art and cosplay to upcoming Fortnite skins.
The legal drama
But the plot thickens. Who actually owns the rights to a character that went viral thanks to the internet collective?
A company called Do Big Studios, which featured Triple T in their popular Roblox game "Steal a Brainrot," is currently in a legal battle with Mementum, a French agency representing the original creator. Mementum sent a cease and desist, but Do Big fired back with a lawsuit in California, arguing that since the character was AI-generated, it isn't eligible for copyright protection.
Can you own AI art?
Real talk: this case is a massive test for US copyright law. The US Copyright Office generally only protects work with significant human authorship. Do Big’s lawyers argue that "sparse prompts"—like the 15 minutes of typing used to create Triple T—don't count as real creative work. Mementum is trying a different angle, focusing on building a global strategy to protect internet-native creators, even if they aren't using traditional methods.
Why it matters
This isn't just about one silly drum meme. The outcome of this case could set the precedent for how all AI-generated content is handled in the future. As Cornell law professor James Grimmelmann notes, we might finally get a clear answer on what counts as "human" in the age of AI. For now, the takeaway is that if you're making cool stuff with AI, keep your receipts—documenting your creative process might be the only way to prove you actually made it.
