The White Lotus' unauthorised use of Duke University logo on 'troubling' imagery angers varsity: It simply goes too far

Duke University is getting a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons from the hit HBO show The White Lotus. The popular series, set in a luxury hotel in Thailand for its third season, features a wealthy family, two of whom are Duke alumni. But the father, played by actor Jason Isaacs, can hardly enjoy the lush surroundings since he’s been implicated in a money-laundering scheme and is being investigated by the FBI, jeopardizing his family’s high-rolling lifestyle. (Also read: Jason Isaacs is shutting down questions about The White Lotus penis scene)

In Episode 5, which aired on March 16, Isaacs’ character Timothy Ratliff considers ending it all. He sits down at a table, writes a note to his family and holds a gun to his temple. He’s wearing a gray t-shirt emblazoned with the iconic royal-blue Duke lettering and logo.

A clip of the scene went viral on social media platforms like X and Reddit. The timing couldn’t have been more potent since Duke is a favored — if also widely reviled, because of its many championship wins and star players — pick to win the NCAA national college basketball championship. Some posters suggested the scene reflected what might happen if Duke loses the March Madness tournament.

“White Lotus just blessed us w an all-time meme if Duke loses early in the tournament,” one person posted on X.

Duke didn’t approve the use of its logo in The White Lotus, the school said in response to questions from Bloomberg. “The White Lotus not only uses our brand without permission, but in our view uses it on imagery that is troubling, does not reflect our values or who we are, and simply goes too far,” Frank Tramble, Duke’s vice president for communications, marketing and public affairs, said in a statement. “Suicide is the second-leading cause of death on college campuses. As imagery from the show is being shared widely across social media, we are using our brand to promote mental health awareness and remind people that help is available.”

A representative for HBO, which is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., declined to comment.

The old ad-industry adage says there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but some brands have, in fact, suffered as a result of unfortunate product placement. Peloton Interactive Inc., the maker of the popular home fitness machine, had to resort to damage control after a character in the show And Just Like That..., a reboot of the Sex and The City franchise also on HBO, died after exercising on a Peloton machine. The company said at the time that while it approved of the use of its bike in the show, it didn’t realize the context of the storyline.

In The White Lotus, Duke isn’t necessarily painted in the most flattering light. Patrick Schwarzenegger plays Saxon, the smug, playboy eldest son of the Ratliff family who is a recent Duke graduate now working for his dad. His sister, a peace-seeking Buddhist, attends the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke’s main rival.

“Duke appreciates artistic expression and creative storytelling, but characters prominently wearing apparel bearing Duke’s federally registered trademarks creates confusion and mistakenly suggests an endorsement or affiliation where none exists,” Tramble said.

Scott Landsbaum, an intellectual property business attorney, said it’s common for companies and brands to take issue with negative portrayals in film and television, but there’s not much they can do.

“You get quite a lot of protection under the First Amendment for artistic endeavors as long as you’re not doing something that would be considered defamatory,” he said. Simply showing some copyrighted work on a T-shirt is fair use, he added.

Often Hollywood does ask permission to use certain products and brands on-screen, since production companies want to avoid bad press, according to Landsbaum. But in the event that a company is surprised by a negative depiction, he said it might be better to stay silent.

“Complaining about it just draws more attention to it,” he said.