Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness may have been a lockdown sensation and become one of the streaming service's most-watched shows but it's run into some big legal trouble over its title.
Hollywood Weekly Magazine is launching a lawsuit over the phrase 'Tiger King', with the magazine claiming that it first used the name in reference to US zoo owner Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage in 2013 and that it has exclusively used it in connection with profiles of him, saying that it therefore owns the trademark to it (although the trademark application for 'The Tiger King' only appears to have been filed earlier this month).
The Hollywood Reporter writes that the publication, which calls itself a "magazine and website for those who want access to Hollywood with a refreshing 'No Gossip, Strictly Entertainment' format", is suing Netflix, CBS Studios, Paramount and Imagine Television for a number of claims "including trademark and copyright infringement, unfair business practices and unjust enrichment".
Related: Tiger King Joe Exotic to appeal losing his zoo
The publication is seeking "destruction of the series and all related advertising", claiming that its brand and reputation is being damaged by a perceived connection with the "tawdry" Netflix documentary series.
In a copy of the complaint obtained by The Hollywood Reporter the magazine states that it has always adhered to a 'No Gossip' policy and says that advertisers have questioned whether the publication is involved with the show.
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"Recently after the series was distributed for streaming, Plaintiffs for the first time were receiving comments from advertisers as to when HWM became a tabloid gossip magazine when the fundamental pillar of HWM is and always has been 'No Gossip, Strictly Entertainment' and always highly respected and well-known for this brand," it reads.
Hollywood Weekly Magazine claims that some of its advertisers had wanted to cancel their ads after believing that the publication was involved in the show, saying that they had viewed it as "a tawdry television program".
Related: Tiger King creators shoot down big rumour
It also writes that "the Publication clearly served as the blueprint, concept, and basis for the Series and the misappropriated use of the Mark 1 in the series name, title, and content", claiming that 'Joe Exotic' was the only nickname widely used for Maldonado-Passage until Hollywood Weekly Magazine referred to him as 'The Tiger King' in 2013 and saying that the show's creators "absconded and utilized same without authorization nor permission".
Digital Spy has contacted Netflix for comment.
In another recent Tiger King-related legal case, Joe Exotic's rival Carole Baskin has won control over his zoo after a US district judge ruled that Baskin's Big Cat Rescue Corp "has sufficiently traced funds to allow for the imposition of a constructive trust".
All of the animals currently at the park must be removed and Big Cat Rescue Corp is also receiving various vehicles based at the property.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is streaming now on Netflix.
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Reporter & Sub-Editor, Digital Spy Susannah is a freelance writer and sub-editor, specialising in the entertainment industry. She graduated in 2014, with a BA in English and American Literature and Creative Writing, and an MA in Creative Producing. She’s been writing for Digital Spy ever since, after first getting involved through work experience, and has written hundreds of stories for the site on a range of topics, from The Sims to Doctor Who. Susannah has also written for Reveal Magazine. Her special interests are soaps (her Mastermind subject would be 2000s Coronation Street), Marvel and Star Wars. She can also quote far too many lines from Friends and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
