Netflix is being sued for $25m over a single scene in Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch

Netflix is being sued by a publisher for $25m after Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch episode used a trademarked catchphrase in one scene.

Chooseco, who owns the trademark for the phrase “Choose Your Own Adventure”, claimed in their lawsuit that “Netflix has no license or authorization to use any Chooseco trademark”. The scene in question regards the main character, Stefan, speaking with his father and referring to the book he’s holding as a “Choose your Own Adventure”.

They claim that they will suffer “irreparable harm and injury to its goodwill and reputation” due to “dark and violent themes” shown in Bandersnatch.

“The films dark and, at times, disturbing content dilutes the goodwill for and positive associations with Chooseco’s mark and tarnishes its products”, Chooseco said.

“It is causing confusion, tarnishing, denigrating, and diluting the distinct quality of the Choose Your Own Adventure mark.”

Original Choose Your Own Adventure books were famous in the 80s and 90s for the format in which the reader would switch to different pages to go down different potential storylines.

Bandersnatch made its debut on Netflix on December 28th, and is currently rated 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

This isn’t the first time Netflix have seen legal trouble: they’ve attracted a number of lawsuits in recent years, including last year when they were sued for defamation over an interrogation scene in When They See Us.