It’s been months, and there’s still no word on a release date for Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex’s brand, American Riviera Orchard. In fact, the brand just hit another major hurdle, and it may delay the brand even further, or call for a complete makeover.
Okay, so before we get into the latest hurdle, you need to know about how Meghan has been dealing with a lot of back and forth from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In Aug 2024, the USPTO denied her application for American Riviera Orchard (ARO) because businesses cannot trademark geographical locations, even despite the inclusion of “Orchard” in the brand title.”
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And now, The New York Post confirmed that they’ve hit another major snag, specifically from a rival lifestyle brand called Harry & David. The brand filed a protest against Meghan’s brand, noting how it’s too similar to their “Royal Riviera” product line.
The brand claimed there would be a “likelihood of confusion,” and now, the trademark issues have been escalated to bring in to Marco Wright, the Trademark Office’s examining attorney.
These issues, coupled with the fact that nothing else has happened since she made that Instagram account at the beginning of 2024, may mean that ARO may not see the light of day for quite some time. Along with that, even if it does, Carla Horvath, a public relations expert, exclusively told SheKnows earlier this year that Meghan may have waited too long.
She said, “This is just another example of her failure to launch and lack of creativity, in which there will be diminishing interest as time goes on.”
Click here to see a complete timeline of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s feud with the royal family.
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