Michelle Obama's 'IMO' podcast faces trademark issue as British group urges her to consider changing name

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Michelle Obama’s new podcast has run into a naming dispute with a British production run by three young men. Taking to social media, the group urged the former first lady to "spare a thought for three black men trying to make a better place."

The 61-year-old debuted her 'IMO' podcast, which she co-hosts with her brother, Craig Robinson, on Wednesday, March 12. 

Soon after Michelle debuted her podcast, the UK-based group urged her to reconsider the name, which is similar to their show’s, as they believe the overlap may "drown out" their "hard work," as reported by Daily Mail.

British group urges Michelle Obama to reconsider the name of her 'IMO' podcast

The British podcast, 'In My Opinion', hosted by three friends, Uzoma, DT, and Mulinde - was launched in 2020 and was registered in the United Kingdom in 2021.

While the group admitted that they have not trademarked their podcast’s name in the US, they urged Michelle to reconsider the name to avoid confusion.

Taking to their TikTok account on Thursday the three men began, "To our forever first lady Michelle Obama, we respect everything you've done for the culture for the American people, for the cause."

They continued, "Obviously we are aware that you launched your podcast, and we don't think you did it maliciously but we are three young black boys from London who started a podcast five years ago."

"Since five years ago we've trademarked the name In My Opinion and IMO podcast. And we don't want our work to be drowned by your celebrity status, do you know what I mean - you're big, you're powerful and you've got a big machine," the trio shared. 

They urged, "We don't want our hard work to go amiss when your podcast launches. So, we're asking kindly, please share a thought for us three young black men that are just trying to make a better place."

Putting up a case for their podcast, Uzoma, DT, and Mulinde noted, "Our podcast doesn't talk about misogyny, doesn't talk about putting down women. We uplift the culture, uplift the community."

Continuing their plea, they added, "We really hope you can reconsider the name you've chosen for your podcast as to not confuse our listeners and drown out our voice that we've worked so hard to build."

"Please Michelle Obama, we are praying that you will give us a chance, let us talk and let's see what we can do to resolve this matter. As three young black men that were saying 'yes we can' for Barack Obama. We still love you guys," the trio concluded. 

The three men explained in the caption that they are not accusing Michelle of "infringement" as their trademark is only registered in the UK, and not in the US.

Michelle Obama's 'IMO' podcast sees low viewership

Michelle Obama's 'IMO' podcast failed to capture the expected attention in the first week. On the very first day, the former first lady’s podcast YouTube page managed to gather only 19,000 subscribers.

The first episode too did not perform in a groundbreaking manner and managed to clock only 50,000 views. 

According to the summary on their Spotify profile, Michelle and her brother's podcast is described as, "Michelle Obama and her big brother Craig Robinson bring their unique experiences and candid perspectives to a range of listeners’ personal dilemmas, from the everyday to the existential."

"This podcast will leave you laughing, reflecting, and feeling more prepared to tackle life's challenges," it adds.

During the episodes, the wife of former President Barack Obama will engage in conversations with her brother and offer advice on everything from "dating and relationships to parenting and financial planning." However, the duo will refrain from talking about current affairs.