(RoyalPatriot.com )- After filing a lawsuit by her company against a popular podcast influenced by Oprah Winfrey’s hit television show, talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is taking no prisoners.
The complaint against the individuals who run the Oprahdemics podcast was submitted to the federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday by Harpo Inc., a business that Winfrey owns.
The event bills itself as an “unauthorized examination of The Queen of Talk.” Each episode analyzes some of the most talked about and contentious parts of the show’s history.
Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Riguer, both historians, and their production firm, Roulette Productions, are named in the trademark claim.
According to the complaint, using Oprah’s name and likeness on the show constitutes a violation of trademark law.
According to NBC News, Harpo Inc. is not attempting to have the podcast stopped or to recover damages as a result of this dispute. They merely want the show to change its name so that they don’t give the impression to fans that Winfrey is affiliated with the production in any way.
Harpo argues that the court should order the defendants to stop wrongfully creating a new brand that incorporates Harpo’s trademarks and making trademark use that is dilutive of and constitutes a misuse of Harpo’s OPRAH and O family of trademarks and explicitly misleads consumers as to the source and/or sponsorship of Defendants’ branded offerings.
The show’s first episode debuted in March of 2022, and there are currently 18 episodes available. After the popularity of their first few episodes, they even hosted a live recording at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year.
A producer for Roulette Productions released a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in which she described the show as nothing more than a “journalistic study” for entertainment purposes.
Oprahdemics is a journalistic investigation conducted by history professors and honest, longtime supporters of Oprah Winfrey. As independent producers, we think it’s crucial to have talks about the cultural impact Ms. Winfrey has had that are lighthearted, approachable, and educational. This comes from a place of profound admiration as well as thoughtful analysis. Roulette Productions produces
“Oprahdemics” has been engaged with the team at Harpo for some time; while they are really surprised by this, they hope to fix it.
