A company from Massachusetts has made moves to sue the producers of the hit TV show House of Cards over their branded slot machine and use of trademark.
According to an article on entertainment website TMZ, the Netflix production company, Media Rights Capital, is being sued by a company called D2. Apparently legal documents provide proof that D2 has held the rights to the ‘House of Cards’ mark for use in any gaming products. The company registered the phrase in 2009 for a radio show of the same name.
D2 also obtained the rights to use ‘House of Cards’ for marketing material such as hats, t-shirts and stickers long before the hit Netflix show debuted in 2013.
In 2015 Media Rights Capital teamed up with gaming giant IGT to produce two slot machines; ‘House of Cards Power and Money’ and ‘House of Cards Welcome to Washington’. D2 claim that neither company were given permission to use the brand mark, which they claim to own. These particular slot machines have become a huge hit and can be found in casinos throughout the US and some international venues.
D2 wants to stop the House of Cards slot machines accepting anymore bets and are also looking for damages for use of the brand they claim to own the rights to.