Affiliate Marketing Blog by Shawn Collins

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Q: I have this idea, but I don’t know if I can pull it off - legally especially. I love Oprah and I bet a lot of other women love Oprah, too. I buy pretty much anything she endorses. I subscribe to Oprah magazine and there are a lot of products featured in each issue. I’m thinking I’d like to feature some of these products on my site and label them “as seen in Oprah magazine”. Is that legal for me to use Oprah’s name - can I actually do that?

A: My first answer is to check with a lawyer. I have no legal background at all, and do not want to give any impression that I do know a legal answer.

Personally, I would be very apprehensive about doing it, because I think there are copyright issues here.

I would guess that the only circumstance where you could list something “as seen in Oprah magazine” would be if it is marketed that way via an affiliate program.

Otherwise, you should ask the affiliate program if that is OK. If they say no or they are not sure, don’t do it.

If you are really insistent on it, definitely check with a lawyer first. But be aware that you’ll probably spend $500+ with the lawyer to find out their legal opinion.

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