The creator of a trivia video quiz that included a question and image about Adolf Hitler is suing Michigan State University over its use before a football game last year.
The Hitler-themed question appeared on Spartan Stadium’s scoreboard as thousands arrived for the annual University of Michigan rivalry game in October 2023. The trivia video came from The Quiz Channel’s latest YouTube video at the time. The account posts weekly quizzes to over 200,000 subscribers and launched in 2020.
MSU officials apologized for the incident, which came shortly after the onset of the Israel-Hamas war, and said the third-party content was inappropriate. University leaders pledged to meet with members of the Jewish community afterwards.
Now, the creator of The Quiz Channel, Floris van Pallandt, is suing MSU’s Board of Trustees for allegedly using the trivia video in question without prior authorization.
“The quiz that was used without permission was not created for a mass market use at an American college football game, and [van Pallandt] does not believe it should have been used at such a time or at such an event, especially in light of current events,” the lawsuit states.
According to the two-count lawsuit filed in federal court in Grand Rapids, van Pallandt accuses MSU of copyright infringement and invasion of privacy over MSU’s response to the video.
“In attempting to place blame on the Plaintiffs for Defendant’s unauthorized use…they implied that the creators…sympathized and/or supported Adolph Hitler and the Nazis,” the suit claims.
Even though van Pallanadt acknowledges he created and published the quiz that contained the Hitler question, the lawsuit says the quiz was not for “mass market use at an American college football game”.
The YouTuber is seeking $150,000 in damages plus attorney fees. MSU officials are not commenting on the matter and the Quiz Channel’s attorney could not be reached for a statement.
