Fictional US President Frank Underwood has created a lot of problems for a real non-profit called America Works
Netflix
A non-profit organization isn't too happy with Netflix, or its award-winning series "House of Cards."
America Works, the non-profit lashed out Friday at the show because it borrows the organization's name for the title of a controversial (again, totally fictional) piece of legislation being proposed by President Frank Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey.
"House of Cards not only used the trademarked name without authorization from the actual firm, but also pulled elements from the real America Works’ mission and history," a spokesperson said in a statement. "The ideology behind the House of Cards ‘America Works,’ however, confuses the philosophy underpinning the real America Works."
This is about more than trademarks and branding. It's also about inconvenience being created.
"America Works and its principals have received many calls and emails asking why America Works is offering programs that divert Social Security funds (or hurricane relief funds) to pay for its job placements and whether America Works is trying to eliminate Social Security," the non-profit said through a spokesperson. "To the contrary, the real America Works does nothing of the kind."
It sounds like some of President Underwood's biggest fans are having a little trouble discerning reality from fiction, and this is clearly agitating the 30-year-old non-profit.
The real America Works is also based in Washington D.C., and helps people find jobs — although, as they specify, they have nothing to do with a fictional plan to cut entitlement spending to put more Americans to work. In a statement, the non-profit says, it has gotten "500,000 hard-to-place individuals" into new jobs.
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