Are you telling me Meghan Markle screwed up American Riviera Orchard yet again?
Meghan Markle seems to be struggling with her business ventures, and now she’s hit yet another snag with her brand. Recently, a rival company has filed a trademark protest, leading to more complications for her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
As you might know, there have been numerous issues surrounding American Riviera Orchard since its unveiling in April. The latest challenge involves Meghan’s attempt to trademark the name, which she clearly wants to secure. However, she’s now facing what could be described as a multi-billion-dollar hurdle thanks to a protest lodged with the United States Patent and Trademark Office by a firm that owns the trademark for Royal Riviera.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting: the Royal Riviera brand is actually owned by Harry and David, a well-known American company that was founded back in 1934. With annual sales of around $1.7 billion and a workforce of 33,000, this brand is no small player in the fruit industry. Their pears, famously wrapped in gold foil, are particularly renowned.
Meghan’s troubles don’t end there. Last year, she tried to secure the trademark for "The Tig" but ran into issues because she failed to submit a statement of use with her application. Her attorney is now requesting a six-month extension for that matter, highlighting her ongoing struggles. Similarly, the Trademark Office has informed her that "American Riviera" is too vague, giving her three months to provide clarification and pay an additional $700. Not a huge amount, but still a complication.
As I mentioned earlier, Tina Brown has weighed in on the situation, expressing her belief that this isn’t merely bad luck for Meghan. The esteemed editor of Vanity Fair and biographer of Princess Diana stated that Meghan consistently gets things wrong and that her ideas are fundamentally flawed.
To add to this, the process of acquiring a trademark is incredibly rigorous, and it would indeed be surprising if Meghan hadn’t received advice on this before submitting her application. However, sources have indicated that she is still very committed to her brand and has three months to respond to the current trademark issues.
Now, moving on from the trademark fiasco, let’s discuss a theory that’s come from Mercury News. According to Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden, the launch of American Riviera Orchard was somewhat premature and poorly planned. He learned in March about Meghan’s intentions to start this lifestyle brand and even reached out for a comment. Eden believes that Meghan’s desire to keep her brand news from the Daily Mail, which she and Harry despise, may have led her to make some hasty decisions.
To scoop the Daily Mail, Meghan announced her brand before having the products or executives ready to run the company. She even had her celebrity friends promote jars of jam and dog biscuits under her brand label—before she had the actual products available for sale. Reports suggest she was heavily inspired by another Southern California company, Flamingo Estate, borrowing many of their ideas without proper attribution.
It raises the question: Did Meghan rush her launch to beat the Daily Mail to the punch? While it’s possible, I suspect she may have been eager to show off her brand in a soft launch manner. However, this kind of premature rollout can lead to significant problems down the line, especially when it comes to trademark issues.
It’s clear that this Royal Riviera trademark dispute is serious. The company is well-established and isn’t likely to back down without a fight. Meghan’s brand name could cause confusion, especially since it includes “Riviera” and is in the same fruit market.
