In June, an episode of CBS drama Evil featured a torture device called the “God Helmet” that made users see demons, relive traumatic experiences and lose their spirituality.
Todd Murphy, who owns the trademark for the “God Helmet,” is now suing CBS and King Size Productions for misrepresenting his invention. “Defendants CBS and KING egregious and intentional use of Plaintiff’s trademark is likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake, or to deceive, mislead, betray, and defraud the viewer who believes that the God Helmet will leave long lasting negative effects on the individual who uses it,” the complaint filed Monday in California federal court states.
Related Stories
Murphy claims that the show knowingly made false statements about his device. He says it conducted research into the invention and its trademark but “knowingly went against the years of research from professionals and created their own portrayal of the God Helmet in order to attract viewers.”
At the beginning of the episode, a woman referenced the device by saying, “Oh right, the God Helmet,” to which a man responds, “Actually, that’s trademarked, so we’ve been asked not to call it that.”
“There is clear and convincing evidence that Defendants CBS and KING did research for their episode because Defendants knew of the God Helmet, the way the helmet works, and the trademark,” the lawsuit reads. “Therefore Defendants knew the depictions and statements would create a false impression about Plaintiff’s device and trademark.”
Murphy owns the trademark for the “God Helmet,” which is advertised as a device that “subtly stimulates the temporal lobes with magnetic signals to create altered states of mind; simulating a religious experience.”
The complaint claims trademark infringement, trade libel and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other things. It seeks an injunction requiring CBS to remove the episode of Evil featuring the device from all media platforms as well as punitive damages.
CBS didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment on the complaint.
