Netflix Faces $25 Million Lawsuit Over ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’
Vermont-based children’s book publisher Chooseco LLC, has filed a lawsuit against Netflix over the film, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, for trademark infringement over its use of the phrase "Choose Your Own Adventure," reports, Deadline. Chooseco is seeking at least $25 million or Netflix’s profits from the film.
According to the complaint filed in Vermont federal court which you can read in its entirety here, Chooseco has been using the phrase "Choose Your Own Adventure," since the '80s and have sold more than 265 million copies of its Choose Your Own Adventure books.
Chooseco says Netflix "used the mark willfully and intentionally to capitalize on viewers’ nostalgia for the original book series from the 1980s and 1990s. The film’s dark and, at times, disturbing content dilutes the goodwill for and positive associations with Chooseco’s mark and tarnishes its products."
Furthermore, the publisher claims that it has registered the phrase in connection with movies, books and other forms of media. 20th Century Fox, according to Chooseco, holds a contract to develop a series based on the publisher’s books, however, Netflix requested a license in 2016 but did not receive one.
For the full story, head on over to Deadline.
In related news, Netflix revealed a new secret ‘Black Mirror: Bandersnatch’ ending.