Meghan Markle's ARO Brand Comes Under More Scrutiny As Trademark Office Flags Logo Issues

Meghan Markle's efforts to launch her American Riviera Orchard lifestyle brand have faced another obstacle.

According to a report, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is now questioning the brand's logo and requesting amendments.

The USPTO also flagged product descriptions as too broad and rejected her trademark application for "American Riviera" due to geographic references.

Although Meghan Markle's team can appeal, this is the second trademark setback after abandoning her "Archewell" podcast trademark bid in 2023.

According to the Daily Mail, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) scrutinized the design of Meghan's American Riviera Orchard logo, particularly the stylized "O" for "Orchard."

In a newly issued "non-final action" document, an examining attorney stated that Meghan's team "must submit an amended description of the mark that agrees with the mark on the drawing."

The attorney noted that "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."

They 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 and it is unrecognizable as a letter. Furthermore, the description is incomplete because it does not describe all the elements in the mark."

The USPTO offered Meghan some guidance to help her fix the logo issue: "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."

The same document also flagged the descriptions of some of the products Meghan intends to sell, labeling them as "too broad."

This included items like "bath soap, cocktail napkins, pans, cooking utensils, namely forks, strainers, spoons, spreaders, spatulas, whisks, and tongs."

Additionally, descriptions for "yoga blankets" and "meditation blankets" came under scrutiny, with the office advising that they be properly categorized as "gift wrap of fabric or textile."

Meghan's application also lists stationery items such as letter openers, envelopes, printed note cards, holiday cards, invitations, recipe cards, and embossed stationery. The USPTO suggested further clarifications to ensure proper classification for these products.

The issue with the brand's logo comes after the USPTO rejected Meghan's trademark application for the brand name, citing that geographical terms like "American Riviera" (a well-known nickname for the Montecito coastline near the Sussexes' residence) cannot be trademarked.

The rejection even included a screenshot of a competing Santa Barbara business, sbcoastalcandles.com, which already sells an "American Riviera" candle for $34.95.

The USPTO's decision stated: "Registration is refused because the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive... 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."

The denial also highlighted multiple issues with the filing, including the alleged failure of Meghan's representatives to sign necessary documents correctly.

In anticipation of the brand launch, the Duchess of Sussex launched an Instagram page to promote the brand after years of not having a presence on the social media site.

The page has since attracted over 600,000 followers, showing that there is significant interest in Meghan's business.

The Duchess of Sussex also created a website for the brand, which currently directs visitors to a landing page.

Meghan has also enlisted Netflix's help. The streaming giant will handle major arrangements for the lifestyle venture's official launch and has assigned its team to oversee deals with wholesalers, designers, growers, and retailers.

The former actress and her husband, Prince Harry, signed a deal with Netflix in 2020. It has since led to the development of several projects in collaboration with the couple's Archewell production company.

Despite the many hurdles, Meghan is said to be optimistic about American Riviera Orchard's future as the launch date draws near.

The mother of two is believed to be deeply "excited" about the prospect of the venture, particularly because it centers around things she "loves."

"She is excited about her latest personal venture," an insider said, per People magazine. "This is something she's been wanting to do for a while. She is excited to share her style and things that she loves."

Meghan's lifestyle brand will reportedly "reflect everything that she loves — family, cooking, entertaining and home décor."