Records indicate that the application was filed by Cobblestone Lane LLC, a Delaware-registered entity with ties to the Beverly Hills offices of a Hollywood attorney who has worked with Meghan for years. However, during a government investigation of the Beverly Hills office, it was found to be mysteriously vacant, devoid of employees, computers, or documents, raising suspicions of it being a questionable shell company.
French journalists who visited the empty office space in Beverly Hills revealed that no one had been present to handle any paperwork. Speculations arose that the couple might have been using it for dubious financial activities, which raised eyebrows. Harry's seeming lack of significant financial involvement further fueled concerns, along with his association with other questionable organizations like BetterUp, not directly linked to the genuinely successful Invictus project.
An examiner was assigned to review their trademark application on May 26th and subsequently sent them an irregularity notice. The notice addressed multiple errors, including the vague nature of their plans. They have been given until August 22nd to make the necessary amendments; otherwise, the application will be considered abandoned.
The International Bureau found the descriptions of goods and services for their nonprofit organization to be too vague for classification purposes. It was also noted that the wording related to the website's content, covering areas like philanthropy, monetary giving, volunteering, career opportunities, and international class 35, needed further clarification to specify the nature of the content provided.
Additionally, Meghan and Harry were instructed to pay additional fees to process their application. In a final blunder, the examiner noted that the application was unsigned in the non-final office action, rendering it improperly verified. It's worth noting that even well-drafted trademark applications may face initial rejection by the US, with one in five applications failing their first examination.
Apart from their trademark woes, recent tax filings have raised questions about the Archewell Foundation's financial operations. Leaked tax filings for 2021 indicated that the foundation had distributed less than a quarter of its income to charitable causes.
Moreover, Meghan and Harry were found to have spent the equivalent of just one hour a week on their charitable foundation, which received a total income of $13 million in 2021, primarily through two substantial one-off donations. Notably, the foundation raised less than $5,000 directly from the public, adding another layer of scrutiny to their philanthropic efforts.
