An upcoming Netflix sequence infringes on logos and branding for Pepperdine College and its basketball program, the college alleges in a lawsuit.
The fictional basketball staff of “Working Level” options the identical title, Waves, and different parts just like that of Pepperdine, a Malibu, Calif.-based establishment related to Church buildings of Christ.
The basketball courtroom in “Working Level” options the Waves emblem.
A trophy wall options Pepperdine College’s Waves emblem.
“With out our permission, Netflix continues to advertise Working Level, a brand new sequence that has misappropriated our trademarked title, the Waves, our colours, blue and orange, our hometown of Los Angeles, and even the yr we have been based as an establishment,” Pepperdine stated in a press release. “Given this flagrant disregard for our mental property and the harm to our institutional identification, along with Netflix’s and Warner Bros.’ continued refusal to resolve Pepperdine’s issues, we imagine it crucial to hunt courtroom intervention.”
The college added that it had tried and didn’t resolve the dispute privately with the media corporations.
The lawsuit filed final week outlines issues that the Netflix present will trigger confusion between the fictional and actual groups and painting a false affiliation with Pepperdine.
The college believes such an affiliation can be damaging, given “parts which are inconsistent with Pepperdine’s Christian values and popularity,” together with specific content material, substance use, nudity and profanity. The present, created by Mindy Kaling and starring Kate Hudson, carries a TV-MA ranking.
A participant within the “Working Level” sequence wears a Waves jersey.
The Pepperdine College Step Staff wears jerseys that includes the staff’s signature No. 37.
Netflix and Warner Brothers haven’t publicly responded to the grievance, information shops have reported.
Learn the total lawsuit right here.
