Netflix is facing another lawsuit after having one filed against them for using the Satanic Temple’s statue in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. A publishing company, Chooseco, is suing them for using the trademark “Choose Your Own Adventure” in their Black Mirror episode/film Bandersnatch; this phrase is associated with the interactive books that the company has published where readers can choose different endings. The protagonist Stefan Butler describes a novel titled Bandersnatch as a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book. This frames this type of book as an original idea from the film.
The complaint filed is for $25 million in damages. Chooseco and Netflix have had negotiations about acquiring the license for the interactive book series, but Netflix never obtained the rights to it. Chooseco is also concerned about associating their book series in any way with the themes that the Netflix show presents: violence, drug use, and other disturbing imagery.
While the interactive film may seem to be the first of its kind, there have been others like it. Late Shift, a Swiss-made action movie that states it is the first interactive film, was made in 2016. It includes 180 different decision points and 7 alternate endings. Netflix most likely could have had the same interactive experience without using content from Chooseco.
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