Winfrey, US insurance firm settle “aha moment” case

London: Talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s production company Harpo is said to have reached an amicable settlement with a US insurance firm over rights to the phrase “aha moment”.

Harpo had earlier this year asked Mutual of Omaha to stop using the phrase while promoting its products, as it created an association with Winfrey, reports the BBC. Winfrey, 55, often uses the slogan on her programme to describe “flashes of understanding”. The Omaha-based company responded to Harpo’s request with legal action stating it had obtained preliminary approval of a trademark on “aha moment”. Mutual also said it had conceived the slogan in early 2008 and encountered no opposition when it made its application to the US patents office. Harpo made no response to Mutual’s move asking a court to declare it had not infringed Winfrey’s rights, and it asked for their claim to be dismissed last month. They used the slogan in a website campaign in which users chose the best “aha moments” to be at the heart of a series of TV adverts. The 10 stories are still appearing on their Internet site, while the company calls itself “proud sponsor of life``s aha moments”. Representatives for Harpo and Mutual have declined to give any further details about the case. ANI