Podcast for Oprah Winfrey Fans Sued by Oprah’s Own Company
An independent podcast that celebrates the life and times of Oprah Winfrey has been sued by Oprah’s own company Harpo, Inc. for alleged trademark infringement, due to the podcast calling itself “Oprahdemics.” The lawsuit claims that the Oprahdemics podcast misleads listeners into falsely believing the show is endorsed by Oprah Winfrey herself.
Harpo and its representatives have made a statement that the Oprah name is extremely profitable from mere association. Calling the increase in profits from using it as “the Oprah Effect,” Harpo asks the Oprahdemics podcast to change its name as part of the lawsuit, rather than making the podcast owners pay for any perceived damages their name has caused.
Independent creatives and emerging artists should really be careful about naming their brand, especially if it is very similar to an existing trademark name in the same country. When filing a trademark name, ensure it is not documented with the USPTO so as to avoid any future confusions such as with Oprah Winfrey’s company.
