Meghan Markle files to trademark word ‘archetypes’ – the title of her Spotify podcast

Meghan Markle has filed to trademark a word that’s been used for 500 years, after revealing it was the title of her Spotify podcast.

Meghan Markle has filed to trademark the word ‘archetypes’, after announcing it was to be the title of her debut Spotify podcast.

The 40-year-old Duchess of Sussex made the application at the United States Patent and Trademark Office in March.

If approved, it means Meghan could use the word - which entered the English language in the 1540s - exclusively for the goods or services for which it is registered.

It would also mean Meghan and Prince Harry’s production company, Archewell Audio, owns the trademark rather than Spotify, who paid the couple a rumoured $31 million to produce podcast content for their platform.

Meghan and Harry signed the multimillion-dollar Spotify deal back in 2020. Picture: AFP.

Meghan could face legal issues with her trademark application, with a skincare and cleaning company business called ‘Archetypes’ having already established a trademark.

Their multimillion-dollar deal has come under scrutiny, with the couple initially promising to roll out a “full-scale” launch of shows throughout 2021.

However, they are yet to follow through on any work, except for a one-off Christmas special which dropped in December 2020 and ran for 35 minutes.

It meant that so far, they’ve been paid roughly $870,000 for each minute of content.

Meghan and Harry haven’t released any podcast episodes since December 2020. Picture: AFP.

But in March Meghan finally announced plans for her first podcast, with the mum-of-two saying in a trailer: “This is how we talk about women – the words that raise our girls, and how the media reflects women back to us … But where do these stereotypes come from? And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives?”

‘Archetypes’ will explore stereotypes about women and girls, according to a trailer for the series. Picture: Getty Images.

Meghan continues: “This is Archetypes – the podcast where we dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back.

“I’ll have conversations with women who know all too well how these typecasts shape our narratives. And I’ll talk to historians to understand how we even got here in the first place.”

Spotify and Archewell Audio described her conversations with typecast women as “uncensored” and said the Duchess would delve into the origins of stereotypes.

Originally published as Meghan Markle files to trademark word ‘archetypes’ – the title of her Spotify podcast