Meghan Markle makes another trademark blunder
Meghan Markle has failed to sign a crucial document for her as yet-to-be-launched lifestyle brand As Ever while Netflix boss Ted Sarandos has backed the “underestimated” Duchess.
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Meghan Markle has suffered yet another trademark blunder after she failed to sign a crucial document in her application for her impending lifestyle brand, As Ever.
The Duchess of Sussex revealed last month that she had renamed her brand from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever after a slew of trademark woes — but it seems as though the mishaps keep haunting her yet-to-be-released brand ahead of its official launch.
In documents obtained by The New York Post, the 43-year-old has been questioned over her application by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
The USPTO told her that she must clarify what she means by “various items” in her description of inventory, including “spoons, serving jams and fruit preserves”.
The former working royal has also been told to list goods “by their international class number” — something she allegedly failed to do.
“And, above all else, she must sign the document — without which it will not be ‘properly verified,’” royal commentator Richard Eden wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
Meghan — who now goes by Meghan Sussex — reportedly made a similar mistake previously when trying to secure a trademark for her now-defunct lifestyle blog, the Tig.
And repeated the mistake again when attempting to trademark her now-defunct Spotify podcast, Archetypes.
“Bizarrely, Meghan made the same mistake — failing to sign the document — when trying to trademark ‘The Tig’ – the name of her old lifestyle blog – and again with ‘Archetypes’, the name she chose for her short-lived Spotify podcast,” Mr Eden said.
While As Ever has yet to see an official launch date, the lifestyle brand has already been plagued with countless troubles within the last year.
In September 2024, Meghan’s application for As Ever — named American Riviera Orchard at the time — was reportedly rejected by the USPTO, who warned that businesses cannot trademark geographical locations.
The government agency also warned that Meghan’s product descriptions could fit into multiple trademark categories.
At the time, the Duchess’ team considered the pushback “routine and expected” when filing for trademarks, according to the New York Post.
Rival lifestyle brand Harry & David later filed a protest against her lifestyle brand, claiming the name is far too similar to its Royal Riviera product line.
Come November 2024, Meghan’s team asked the USPTO for a three-month extension to launch the American Riviera Orchard brand.
After announcing her brand’s new name to the world last month, it soon emerged that the As Ever name already belonged to an independent NYC clothing brand.
The former actress is also reportedly facing possible legal action from a Spanish town over As Ever’s new logo, given its striking similarity to the coat of arms belonging to Porreres — a small village in Mallorca.
Still, the town’s mayor has since said that they simply can’t afford to sue the duchess, despite admitting that As Ever’s logo is an “exact copy” of the town’s historic emblem.
It comes as a PR expert in the UK has called a handwritten letter sent by Meghan to a podcaster as a “stunt”.
American podcaster Amanda Hirsch had said she was “scared” about the reception to With Love, Meghan and suggested she came across as “inauthentic” and not “relatable” in a trailer for the series.
In response Meghan sent her a note on paper headed with her gold embossed royal cipher. It said in immaculate calligraphic handwriting: “Don’t be scared. Let’s enjoy it.”
An excited Hirsch said she is now a “fan” of Meghan “for life” and shared a picture of the letter to her 890,000 Instagram followers.
Mark Borkowski, one of the UK’s leading publicity gurus and crisis managers, has said while Ms Hirsh’s criticism of the show appears genuine, Meghan’s handwritten note is straight out of “the PR playbook”.
“Meghan is at a crossroads. The well of sympathy she once drew from is running dry, and the PR playbook of handwritten notes and ‘authentic’ vulnerability is starting to feel like a well-rehearsed script. The noise is deafening, but the signal — the compelling reason for her continued relevance is fading,” he told the Daily Mail.
Meanwhile, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has stepped in to defend Meghan saying she is “underestimated”.
When asked what motivated him to “bet” on Meghan, Sarandos said: “I think Meghan is underestimated in terms of her influence on culture.
“When we dropped the trailer for the Harry & Meghan doc series [in 2022], everything on-screen was dissected in the press for days,” he continued.
“The shoes she was wearing sold out all over the world. The Hermès blanket that was on the chair behind her sold out everywhere in the world. People are fascinated with Meghan Markle. She and Harry are overly dismissed.”
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