A Turkish court has ordered Netflix to pay mathematics teacher Mustafa Güler 1.95 million lira, about $42,000, before interest after partially ruling in his favor in a lawsuit over the unauthorized use of footage from one of his lesson videos, Turkish media reported.
The Ankara Fourth Civil Court for Intellectual and Industrial Rights ruled in favor of Güler at the suit’s eighth hearing, with the reasoned decision to be issued later.
Güler, known on social media as “Matematiğin Güler Yüzü,” Turkish for “the smiling face of mathematics,” had accused Netflix Türkiye of using footage from one of his YouTube videos without permission in a promotion for the sixth season of “Black Mirror.”
The court ordered Netflix to pay 1.8 million lira in copyright damages, plus interest from May 2, 2023.
It also awarded Güler 150,000 lira in non-economic damages, again with interest from the same date, while rejecting the remainder of his claims.
The ruling can be appealed within two weeks after notification.
Turkish media reported in 2023 that the Netflix Türkiye post used a two-second clip showing Güler during a lesson and edited it to make it appear as if he was pressing the platform’s heart-shaped rating button.
Netflix Türkiye removed the post after Güler objected, according to reports at the time.
Güler said in a written statement after the ruling that the case was not only about his own rights but also about the responsibilities of digital platforms toward content producers, educators and rights holders.
He said the ruling was important for the protection of labor, intellectual work and individual rights.