Michigan State Sued Over Adolf Hitler Quiz Question Displayed At Football Game

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan State is being sued over the Adolf Hitler question that appeared on screens at Spartan Stadium before a game last season, with the creator of the test saying the university did not have permission to use its product that “was not created for mass market use at a college football game.”

Floris van Pallandt, owner of Carsilius Media, BV and operator of The Quiz YouTube channel, filed a federal lawsuit against the school’s Board of Regents last week seeking $150,000 in damages plus legal fees. Van Pallandt claims that the use of the test was a copyright violation, and the company was subjected to scorn and ridicule for Michigan State’s public display of the Hitler question, “especially in light of current events.”

The question came up on Oct. 21 during the pregame between Michigan State and Michigan. The Spartan Stadium video boards broadcast a stream from the YouTube channel, and among the 40 questions on the European history quiz was one asking where Hitler was born. A photo of him was shown before Austria was shown in response.

University spokeswoman Emily Gerkin Guerrant did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

The employee responsible for presenting the test was disciplined, the university issued a public apology, and athletic director Alan Haller said his department is responsible for all content on its video boards.

The Michigan-Michigan State game took place two weeks after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas.

A spokesman for the athletic department, in a separate apology, characterized the test as “inappropriate content from a third-party source” and said the school would not use the third-party source in the future.

In his lawsuit, van Pallandt said MSU did not have permission to use the test and that “once the theft was discovered,” the university tried to damage the reputation of van Pallandt and Carsilius Media.

“The test that was used without permission was not created for mass market use at a college football game, and the plaintiff 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 said.

Van Pallandt, a citizen of the Netherlands whose business is based in Colombia, said in the lawsuit that if MSU had contacted him, he could have created a custom test appropriate for the venue and event and could have charged a appropriate fee.

“At the very least, this attempt to deflect blame is disingenuous by omitting any comment about the state of Michigan’s role in this fiasco,” the lawsuit said.

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