The Ratliff family are shaping up to be some of the most compelling characters on this season of The White Lotus. In recent episodes – spoiler alert! – we’ve seen family patriarch Timothy (Jason Isaacs) grapple with suicidal thoughts after he learns that the FBI are investigating his involvement in a money laundering scheme, as well as brothers (yes, brothers) Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Lochlan (Sam Nivola) get a little frisky with each other after a drug-fuelled night out.
Both Timothy and Saxon are depicted as alumni of Duke University – and unsurprisingly, officials from the institution are a little peeved that the Duke brand is being so closely affiliated with issues such as corruption, suicide and incest on the show. Notably, in the most recent episode to date, Timothy has a graphic vision of shooting himself in the head while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Duke’s logo.
Frank Tramble, Duke’s vice-president for communications, marketing and public affairs, said in a statement to Bloomberg that the university did not approve of the use of its logo and was particularly disturbed by its inclusion in the aforementioned scene where Timothy contemplates killing himself.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Tramble also told the New York Times: “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.”
It doesn’t help that the still of Timothy holding the gun to his head has become a meme, with its virality fuelled by the lead-up to ‘March Madness’, a national college basketball championship. “White Lotus just blessed us [with] an all-time meme if Duke loses early in the tournament”, reads one post on X that has been liked over 59,000 times.
Unfortunately for Duke, it’s unlikely they can do anything about being featured in the show this way. Jeanne Fromer, a professor specialising in intellectual property law at the New York University School of Law, told the New York Times that artists are protected to use trademarks for artistic and expressive purposes under the first amendment. “On the one hand, I understand that Duke is trying to disassociate themselves from this,” Fromer said. “On the other hand, they’re drawing attention to it.”