Meghan Markle has encountered a fresh obstacle in the launch of her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, after the US Patent and Trademark Office rejected her trademark application due to an issue with the logo. The Duchess of Sussex had planned to unveil the venture early next year, coinciding with a Netflix series linked to the project.
The rejection stems from an “inconsistent” element in the brand’s design, specifically the letter ‘O’ in the logo. According to a “non-final action” document, the description of the mark was deemed inaccurate because the letter ‘O’ is “not clearly visible or highly stylised that it is unrecognisable as a letter.” The office also noted that the description was incomplete, failing to describe all elements in the mark.
The document 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 and her team must now revisit their plans to address the objection.
This is not the first hurdle for American Riviera Orchard. The trademark application was previously turned down because the office forbids businesses from trademarking geographic locations. “American Riviera” is a nickname for the Montecito area where Meghan lives with Prince Harry. An insider hinted that alternative names are being considered, with the possibility of renaming the brand after launch, following the example of Kim Kardashian.
Additional reports suggest Meghan felt “humiliated” after an alleged snub from Kris Jenner, who reportedly declined a collaboration due to negative opinion polls on the Sussexes. The source claimed Meghan had been excited to work with the Kardashians but was ultimately rejected.
