Michigan State sued for blasting huge picture of Hitler before football game

Michigan State University is being sued for over $100,000 by an online quiz company for blasting a huge picture of Adolf Hitler at a football game. 

On October 21, 2023, during a match between Michigan State and University of Michigan at Spartan Stadium, the former college showed an image of the Nazi leader as part of a question about the dictator's birthplace.

The event which was attended by at least 70,000 people saw Hitler and Austria, his birthplace, flashed on the videoboards long enough for surprised viewers to snap photos and share them on social media. 

The clip of the question seemed to match an image shared in an episode on 'The Quiz Channel,' a YouTube channel that posts a variety of quizzes on October 13. 

On October 21, 2023, during a match between Michigan State and University of Michigan at Spartan Stadium, the former college showed an image of the Nazi Germany leader as part of a question about the dictator's birthplace

In an August 9 filing, it has been revealed that Floris van Pallandt, the owner of Carsilius Media, BV and operator of The Quiz Channel is suing Michigan State for copyright infringement and invasion of privacy. 

The owner claims that the university's athletic department 'knowingly and illegally infringed on the copyright' and never contacted the company. 

According to court documents, van Pallandt claims that had Michigan State reached out to him before the incident, 'he could have put together a customized quiz appropriate for the venue and event, charging an appropriate fee for his work.' 

He also states that the incident only came to his notice after it made national news and the university was forced to issue an apology. 

The event which was attended by at least 70,000 people saw Hitler and Austria, his birthplace, flashed on the videoboards long enough for some on social media to share what was seen 

In an August 9 filing, it has been revealed that Floris van Pallandt, the owner of Carsilius Media, BV and operator of The Quiz Channel (pictured)  is suing Michigan State for copyright infringement and invasion of privacy

After reading through the apology, the owner has further accused Michigan State of falsely blaming 'a third-party source' for it's 'inappropriate content' and not accepting it's own role in the issue. 

'At the time Michigan State officials made this announcement, which was widely reported in the news media, they were aware that Michigan State University staff members had used [The Quiz Channel's] intellectual property without proper permission, and had, in fact, infringed on their rights.

'At a minimum, this attempt to deflect blame is dishonest by omitting any comments about Michigan State's role in this fiasco,' the documents stated.  

While Van Pallandt acknowledged that his company created the Europe-based quiz and included the question, he clarified that it was not meant for 'mass market use at an American college football game'.

'Given the timing of the football game, approximately two weeks after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, the inclusion of a question regarding Adolf Hitler during the Michigan-Michigan State football game garnered an extremely high degree of attention, most of it negative,' the suit states.

After widespread criticism last year, the University had reportedly fired an employee along with the apology. 

'MSU is aware that inappropriate content by a third-party source was displayed on the videoboard prior to the start of tonight´s football game,' Michigan State spokesman Matt Larson said.

'We are deeply sorry for the content that was displayed, as this is not representative of our institutional values. MSU will not be using the third-party source going forward and will implement stronger screening and approval procedures for all videoboard content in the future.'

Michigan State University had lost the game by 42-0 against the University of Michigan

The pregame quiz provides content well before games on videoboards. No other quizzes were displayed on the screen. 

Michigan State University had lost the game by 42-0 against the University of Michigan. 

Van Pallandt is seeking actual damages, to be determined at trial, or a civil fine of $150,000 for the 'willful infringement of copyright.' 

Apart from this, he is also demanding that university be prohibited from using any of The Quiz Channel’s content in the future, that the school pay attorney's fees, interests and costs, and all other relief to which he is entitled.