In other words, #PizzaRat went viral because there’s something universally recognizable in #PizzaRat. But that poses the interesting question: Just because we relate to #PizzaRat, just because we’ve embraced and most importantly shared #PizzaRat, does #PizzaRat belong to all of us? And no, not in the philosophical sense. Who, legally, does #PizzaRat belong to?

In the minds of many, the Internet was originally conceived to be a decentralized medium, chaotic but wonderful, a place where things spread organically and freely and without mediation. Instead, as John Herrman has argued in The Awl, it’s turned into a medium that’s mediated at every possible point. It was the same with #PizzaRat. At approximately 3:30 PM on September 22, #PizzaRat came to the attention of Jukin Media, an LA-based viral video outfit. The company swiftly acquired the rights to the video, when it had only 2,660 views.