Oprah Winfrey's company sues over Oprahdemics podcast

dailymail.co.uk:

Oprah Winfrey's company Harpo Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the creators of the Oprahdemics podcast, claiming that the program misleads listeners into thinking she sponsored or approved it.In a complaint filed late Tuesday in Manhattan Federal Court, Winfrey's Harpo Inc said it is neither seeking profits or damages from Oprahdemics creators Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Rigueur, nor trying to stop the podcast.Instead, it wants a name change, saying the podcast and related live events dilute Harpo's Oprah and O trademarks, and wrongly capitalize on the goodwill that Winfrey has spent decades building.

The latest: Oprah Winfrey's company has filed a lawsuit against the creators of the Oprahdemics podcast, claiming that the program misleads listeners into thinking she sponsored or approved it.

Winfrey, 68, was pictured in 2019 in NYC Harpo, which is Oprah spelled backward, said simply being associated with the Oprah brand often causes an 'exponential' jump in sales, known as 'The Oprah Effect' or 'The O Factor.'The Oprahdemics website describes Jackson and Rigueur as historians and friends who break down iconic episodes of Winfrey's talk show and discuss the cultural impact of the 'Queen of Talk.' Oprahdemics was launched by Roulette Productions this past March, and concluded its initial season at June's Tribeca Film Festival.In a statement, co-producer Jody Avirgan, whose company Roulette Productions is also a defendant, called Oprahdemics a 'journalistic exploration by history professors and sincere, longtime fans of Oprah Winfrey.' Winfrey was pictured at her father's funeral in Nashville last month  In the suit, Winfrey's company is requesting a name change, saying the podcast and related live events dilute.