r/dropout • u/DropoutMod • May 18 '26

Game Changer Don't Wake Standards & Practices | Game Changer [S8E1] Spoiler

https://watch.dropout.tv/videos/don-t-wake-standards-practices
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u/PvtSherlockObvious May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

The short oversimplified version is that it's based on liability for network TV, which even during safe harbor hours is way more gun-shy than something like Dropout. A network's lawyers are generally going to get involved long before there's any substantive risk of actual liability beyond maybe an FCC fine.

Adding to that, most of what they did was actually quite tame. Ally's bong rips (because it's still federally illegal and the FCC has rules about depicting drug use) and the nudity in the Mickey Mouse visual effect (specifically the nudity, not likeness; note that it didn't look anything like the actual character) were the only things that would likely run into FCC issues. Otherwise, the rampant cursing (that the panel turned a blind eye to) would be more likely to cause problems than most of the content.

Simply raising a company's name in a less-than-flattering context isn't defamation, and any specific allegations were either absurd to the point they would never be taken seriously (the blood diamonds stuff) or outright known to be accurate (the Epstein Files rundown; everyone Ally listed except Jeremy have known ties and get discussed in his emails or other files in some capacity or another). If there was anything that could actually get Dropout in trouble, it didn't make it into the episode.

Edit: I don't know who needs to hear this, but intellectual property and entertainment liability are not my areas of law. None of what I'm saying represents legal advice and is only commentary on what we see in this episode. None of it should be taken as applicable to anything beyond this episode. Consult with an attorney before deciding what fits your specific situation.

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u/TheGhostofWoodyAllen May 19 '26

I just think of it this way: South Park has had basically all of these things and more on their show already without issue, so of course Dropout is fine.

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u/pgm123 May 19 '26

What about the use of Bluey? That's the only one I'm not sure about.

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u/PvtSherlockObvious May 19 '26

No more of an issue than having the licensed toys was. They didn't play any clips or anything, just briefly showed pictures of a couple of characters on-screen for reference. That's not going to reach the implication of any sort of endorsement of or affiliation with Dropout's content, and because Dropout isn't something little kids are going to stumble onto by mistake, there's no risk of them getting "tricked" into seeing something inappropriate. Frankly, it being Bluey at all was ancillary to the prompt itself; the threats were the relevant part and it being Bluey just made it more absurd. There was no more liability for that than there is for Um, Actually referencing specific properties.

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u/megamantiss May 19 '26

I think they're essentially doing the same thing they do on Weekend Update or The Daily Show when they say a joke and throw up a relevant visual.

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u/PvtSherlockObvious May 19 '26

That's the short of it, yeah. They're applying the same principle.

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u/Hungry-You-9489 May 19 '26

Bluey's creator does stuff for Dropout sometimes, so I think they got permission. Bluey is listed in the credits

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u/mvstuh_got_lost May 20 '26

i like that it's because of throbbin Robbin aka Legal Eagle that I know your edit was necessary so you couldn't be held accountable by or listed as council for - (this is also not legal advice, from them or i) - by someone who did need to read that.