Meghan Markle is on the verge of launching her American Riviera Orchard business, but the Duchess of Sussex has encountered a significant setback concerning the company’s logo. As Meghan prepares to unveil her new lifestyle brand early next year, she is also set to release a new Netflix show to complement the project. However, American Riviera Orchard has faced a major hurdle with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which has recently denied her latest trademark application.
The crux of the issue lies with the company’s logo. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office took issue with the letter “O” in the logo, stating that its “description is inconsistent with the mark on the drawing.” The official “non-final action” document noted that the description of the logo did not accurately represent its design.
The document, obtained by the Daily Mail, detailed: “Descriptions must be accurate and identify only those literal and design elements appearing in the mark.” It further explained: “The current mark description indicates that the letter ‘O’ appears in the mark. However, the letter is now clearly visible or highly stylized that it is unrecognizable as a letter. Furthermore, the description is incomplete because it does not describe all the elements in the mark.”
The USPTO suggested a revised description: “The mark consists of a double-lined octagon enclosing the stylized and overlapping letters ‘AR’ and incorporating decorative and looping lines. The latter ‘A’ contains a stylized flower at the top of the letter.”
Meghan has faced previous issues with the USPTO as well. Her trademark application was earlier denied because the office does not permit businesses to trademark geographic locations. “American Riviera” refers to the Montecito area where Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, reside. Sources indicate that Meghan’s team is now exploring alternative names.
One source suggested Meghan might follow a strategy similar to Kim Kardashian, who changed the name of her business after its launch. “The team is considering backup names as we speak,” they told The Express. “They’ve been thrown into a bit of a last-minute scramble, but they’re not too worried. They know Kim K also changed her brand name after launch and it still did remarkably well.”
This latest setback follows an earlier reported snub from Kris Jenner, which left Meghan feeling “humiliated.” A source told Closer Magazine: “Kris has a lot on her plate, but people can’t help but wonder if she’s distanced herself due to the negative opinion polls about the Sussexes.” The source added: “No doubt Harry and Meghan felt they were lowering their standards a bit by associating with the Kardashians, so being rejected by them is a significant blow. Meghan was initially excited about working with the Kardashians and had come around to the idea.”
