MonaVie settles with Oprah
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The acai berry product firm resolves allegations it used Oprah Winfrey's and Dr. Mehmet Oz's names and images to promote acai products. An August 2009 suit named South Jordan, Utah-based MonaVie because of "unapproved distributor Web sites and social networking sites - all of which are now non-operational or shut down" (1"The Tan Sheet" Aug. 24, 2009, In Brief). The settlement requires the firm to not use Winfrey's or Oz's names, images or trademarks without permission. MonaVie distributors in violation will face "steep penalties," the company said. MonaVie avoids popular weight-loss claims for acai and focuses on science (2"The Tan Sheet" April 26, 2010)