Meghan Markle's Lifestyle Brand American Riviera Orchard Experiences Trademark Setback
Reports indicate there were application "irregularities."
![Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attends the 2024 ESPY Awards at Dolby Theatre on July 11, 2024 in Hollywood, California.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z5mGujCi3C29ZqJ6ivbAG9-415-80.jpg)
Meghan Markle has reportedly hit a slight snag after trying to trademark her new lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard.
According to an exclusive report from The Daily Mail, the Duchess of Sussex attempted to "trademark the name of her service," American Riviera Orchard, for "international use" prior to launching the brand next year.
Unfortunately, according to the publication, Markle's application allegedly included a "number of irregularities which needed to be corrected" in order to be properly processed.
"The U.S. Patents and Trademarks Office has notified the Sussex's lawyers of various issues," the publication reports, "including incorrect classification of yoga blankets, picnic baskets, and recipe books."
The Daily Mail alleges the agency informed the royals that "fees are due to various bodies around the world to register the trademark" that allegedly total over $11,000.
Meghan Markle.
Markle announced the eventual launch of her new lifestyle brand back in March, teasing fans with a strawberry jam influencer campaign (and a dash of raspberry jam and dog biscuit controversy).
Shortly after, according to the Tatler, the company was reportedly dipping its toes in the wine pool by including a rosé as part of the brand's product list.
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"To complement the reported wine launch, it’s expected that other products in the initial tranche of releases will be drinking and serving ware, bar essentials, and other products related to hosting and entertaining,” The Daily Mail reported at the time. “We can expect items in classic, but expensive, style.”
Per the Tatler, rosé is Markle's "drink of choice."
“She even drank it on her first date with Prince Harry at Soho House back in 2016," the publication reported. “Meghan is also reported to enjoy a frosé, which is made by freezing wine and blending it into a slushie with strawberries and icing sugar for added sweetness.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
Markle has also been teasing the launch of her new brand by sending specific American Riviera Orchard products to prominent Hollywood A-listers, including but certainly not limited to: Oprah Winfrey, Ellen Degeneres, Serena Williams and Dora Ragland.
Other powerful influencers, actresses and models have been sent some American Riviera Orchard jam, including Abigail Spencer, Tracy Ellis Ross, Mindy Kaling, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend and Kris Jenner.
A source close to Markle confirmed to The Daily Mail that the Duchess of Sussex and her brand have "received several Notices of Irregularity requesting clarifications on goods and services" regarding her trademark petition.
"Such requests are typical and entirely expected when filing international applications due to the differences between international and U.S. standards and classifications," the publication adds.
In other words, the alleged snafu is not likely to delay Markle's lifestyle brand launch.
Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.
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