Jake Paul's Betr Fires Back At HBO Over Entourage Ad
Jake Paul's betting app Betr has refused to pull a commercial starring former "Entourage" actors Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier after HBO sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding the ad be taken down, arguing the network is contradicting positions it took in its own past copyright cases.
HBO's attorneys wrote that the three-minute commercial, which reunites Piven and Grenier in a scene evoking their old "Entourage" chemistry, infringes the network's intellectual property and was made without its consent.
"Everything about the Infringing Advertisement, from its setting, to the actors' clothing, dialogue, and manner of speech, is evocative, if not duplicative, of Entourage," the letter states, adding that Betr intended to "exploit the show's popularity" for commercial gain.
HBO also demanded Betr disclose the ad's spend, viewer numbers and profits, and remove it from YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Betr's Response: "It Cannot Have It Both Ways"
In a statement issued to Variety, Betr pointed to two prior lawsuits in which HBO was the defendant, over "Ballers" and "Six Feet Under," and won by arguing that Miami party scenes, celebrity lifestyles and fast-talking characters were not protectable creative elements.
"HBO owns Entourage. It does not own Jeremy Piven and Adrian Grenier," the company said. "When HBO was sued over Ballers and Six Feet Under, it told the courts that Miami parties, celebrity lifestyles, and fast-talking characters belong to everyone. It won that argument. Now that it is the one complaining, those same elements have become HBO's sole and exclusive property."
Betr's attorneys also argued the ad never names "Entourage" and uses none of the show's character names, footage, dialogue or music. "Recognition is not reproduction," the letter obtained by Variety reads, adding that the ad's appeal rests on casting two actors with a shared history, not on copying HBO's protected material.
The Bigger Picture For Betting App Marketing
The standoff highlights how far US sportsbook apps are pushing celebrity-led advertising to stand out in a crowded market, and the intellectual property risk that comes with leaning on nostalgia for a specific show rather than original creative.
Betr, co-founded by Paul in 2023, has built its marketing around high-profile stunts and celebrity tie-ins as it competes for market share against established operators.
Betr has declined HBO's demands so far and asked the network to identify precisely which elements of the ad it believes are protected, rather than agree to remove the commercial.
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