Don’t use Oprah’s image without permission
The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily Oprah's.
CNBC recently aired a one-hour documentary called “The Oprah Effect,” which explored “the most influential woman in America-maybe the world,” says the CNBC web site, and her “unprecedented ability to take companies from no names to brand names.”
Clearly, “The Oprah Effect” is nothing to be taken lightly. Businesses know of Oprah’s extraordinary powers, and the Queen of Media knows all about it, too. That is why she isn’t about to sit back and let online marketers harness the power of her name and image without so much as asking permission.
Mashable: The Social Media Guide reports
“Banner ads that include celebrities are nothing new, and a common tactic used by marketers to improve click-thru rates. However, in most cases, the celebrities being featured aren’t actually being paid for the endorsement.
“Oprah has decided to do something about it, and along with Dr. Oz and The Illinois State Attorney General’s Office have filed a lawsuit against more than 50 different marketers who have used their images without permission.”
Oprah never said she likes Acai berries
I’m sure you’ve seen ads touting Acai berries and other so-called weight loss secrets that are accompanied by celebrities images. Photos are so incredibly easy to find and reuse that online marketers can fill their banner ads with photos of Paris Hilton, Brooke Shields, Nicole Kidman — anyone they want — with just a few mouse clicks.
But though it is extremely easy to use Oprah’s image to market products, the companies that did so are in for a rough road now. Azoogle, a big online affiliate ad network, sent an e-mail to its members warning them not to abuse the power of Oprah anymore. It states:
Dr. Oz and Oprah Winfrey have also filed a lawsuit in New York for copyright and trademark infringement against approximately 50 companies, including advertisers, suppliers, ad networks, and affiliates. To put it bluntly, they are very unhappy of their celebrity status being used to market dietary supplements and cosmetics, without their permission. They have specifically listed hundreds of affiliate sites they want discontinued immediately, because the URLs use their name or the sites claim endorsements from Oprah/Dr. Oz.
From big names to no names
Of course, the Oprah effect works both ways. If Oprah loves you, millions of her fans love you. If you’re in trouble with Oprah … well, you’re in really big trouble. This practice has been going on for quite sometime, and people really should have known that they couldn’t just name-drop Oprah without permission and get away with it.
I mean, how many lists have called her one of the most powerful women in the world — if not the most? I certainly wouldn’t want to cross her. CNBC’s “The Oprah Effect” studies how quickly and completely Oprah can help a business rise to fame, and she can take them down just as fast.
There’s no business too small and no practice too widespread for Oprah to take on. People might have thought that she wouldn’t be able to target individuals or that if everyone was doing it she wouldn’t (or couldn’t) sue everyone.
But it’s Oprah. And she is suing everyone.
Discussion of Oprah Opens 50 Lawsuits for copyright and trademark infringement