Netflix sued by immigration detention center operators over use of logo in 'Messiah'
by Vandana RambaranA private company that operates some U.S. prisons and detention centers is suing Netflix over the use of its logo in negative scenes depicting squalid conditions in immigrant detention centers on the show "Messiah."
The Geo Group is accusing Netflix of trademark infringement and making defamatory statements in the show during scenes where the main character is detained in a Texas detention center that is overcrowded, with detainees sleeping on the floor and deprived of bedding and other basic necessities.
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"With its portrayal of unconscionable and inhumane conditions at an immigrant detention facility bearing GEO’s name and trademarks, Netflix is willfully damaging GEO’s reputation, infringing on GEO’s trademarks, causing confusion as to GEO’s approval or endorsement of Netflix’s use of GEO’s trademarks, and denigrating the reputation and goodwill of GEO’s trademarks," the company said in its lawsuit.
The company went on to include photos of playgrounds, athletic courts, children's libraries, and cafeterias that are brightly lit with colorful furniture and decor as proof that the conditions in its facilities are not subpar.
GEO also included a table showing the average daily population at each of four facilities that fall below their maximum capacity to refute assertions of overcrowding.
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The GEO Group has faced its own share of legal action from claims alleging that inmates in their prisons are paid less than minimum wage for working in their facilities. The company is fighting those lawsuits, according to reports by Variety.