Netflix Faces Lawsuit Tied to Show Inspired by Lakers' Jeanie Buss

Running Point, an upcoming Netflix show inspired by Los Angeles Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, is already gaining attention, although the first episode has yet to be released. 

A lawsuit by Pepperdine University against the Netflix show accuses the streaming giant and production company Warner Bros. Entertainment of myriad trademark infringements.

In the complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court, the California-based private Christian university,  whose athletic programs have been known as the Waves since its 1937 founding, noted that the blue-and-orange colors and logo of the fictional team in Running Point are “strikingly similar” to the university’s own branding.

Pepperdine Univerity's mascot is the Waves, and their colors are blue and orange. 

“The uses are too many and too close to be coincidental,” the school said in its suit. It is asking the court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) and permanent injunctions preventing Netflix from airing the series in its current form. Additionally, Pepperdine seeks treble damages for copyright infringement, along with a request for any profits derived from the alleged infringements, such as through merchandise sales, to be awarded to the university. The federal judge assigned to the case has scheduled a hearing for the TRO on Tuesday afternoon. Spokespeople for Netflix and Warner Bros. Entertainment did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Although Jeanie Buss is not named as a defendant, the complaint raises the question of why, given her role as a producer, she did not intervene in the show’s use of the “Waves” name and branding.

The suit points out that Pepperdine had for many years maintained a conference room in the Lakers’ home venue, Crypto.com Arena, which displayed the university’s trademarks in close proximity to and easy accessibility for Buss “and her team.”

The series stars Kate Huson as the team's owner, and the storyline resembles Buss. 

The show is set to release on Feb. 27 on the streaming service. 

In late January, Buss responded to the striking resemblance of the new Netflix show to her life.