Check out my article published May 5, 2026 on the “IP Watchdog” legal news website!
Netflix’s “Running Point” never fails to deliver the drama—both on-screen and in a court of law.
Just a week before the series premiered in 2025, Pepperdine University filed a trademark lawsuit alleging that the LOS ANGELES WAVES, the fictional sports team at the heart of the show, infringed the university’s WAVES trademarks for its real-life Los Angeles sports teams. Pepperdine unsuccessfully sought an emergency injunction blocking the series premiere, and on April 15, 2026, the court ultimately dismissed the complaint in full.
My article explains how the court misapplied First Amendment law and discusses the broader implications for the vitality of trademark enforcement against creative works. You can also read my predecessor article published in 2025, which explains the basis for the suit and how the controversy originally came about.
READ FULL ARTICLE PUBLISHED ON IP WATCHDOG.
CITATION: Sara Gold, Trademark Claims Against Netflix Dismissed Due to One-Letter Typo in Court Order, IP Watchdog (May 5, 2026, 10:08 AM), available at https://ipwatchdog.com/2026/05/05/trademark-claims-against-netflix-dismissed-due-one-letter-typo-court-order/