The new blow comes only days after USPTO denied an application regarding the Duchess of Sussex's name of her brand, saying businesses are not allowed to trademark geographic locations.
- Sep 7, 2024
AceShowbiz - Meghan Markle's business venture has hit another trouble. The Duchess of Sussex's new lifestyle brand American Riviera Orchard faced a new obstacle after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) took issue with its logo.
According to a new report, the office demanded a more-detailed explanation regarding the way the letter "O" for Orchard is depicted on the intricate and swirling logo for the company. "Applicant must submit an amended description of the mark that agrees with the mark on the drawing," USPTO stated in a "non-final action" document.
"The current description is inconsistent with the mark on the drawing and is thus inaccurate. Descriptions must be accurate and identify only those literal and design elements appearing in the mark," it continued.
The document added, "In particular, 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 office, meanwhile, suggested a more accurate description that read, "The mark consists of a double lined octagon enclosing the stylized and overlapping letters 'AR' and incorporating decorative and looping lines. The letter 'A' contains a stylized flower at the top of the letter."
USPTO also pointed out that Meghan's descriptions of some of the good she plans to market, saying they are "too broad." In addition to "bath soap, cocktail napkins, pans, cooking utensils, namely forks, strainers, spoons, spreaders, spatulas, whisks, tongs," the office took issue with descriptions of "yoga blankets, meditation blankets."
The new blow came only days after USPTO denied an application regarding the name of her brand, saying businesses are not allowed to trademark geographic locations. In its document, it explained that businesses are not allowed to trademark geographic locations.
"Registration is refused because the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive,' the USPTO said in its filing. "Commonly used nicknames for geographic locations are generally treated as equivalent to the proper geographic name of the place identified. American Riviera is a common nickname for Santa Barbara, California."
USPTO also claimed in August that Meghan's agents apparently failed to sign the correct documents.
Meghan soft-launched her American Riviera Orchard brand back in March. At the time, the wife of Prince Harry sent out 50 jars of "homemade" strawberry jam to celebrities, including Kris Jenner, Mindy Kaling and Chrissy Teigen.