Meghan Markle is considering a new name for her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard (ARO), in case her present name is not approved, according to a source.
The US Patent and Trademark Office recently rejected her application to utilize the ARO moniker, which has generated some misunderstanding among her team members.
According to the source, Meghan’s team may need to find a backup name, as Kim Kardashian did when she had to modify her shapewear brand name from Kimono to Skims owing to cultural concerns.
“The team is working on alternative names just in case,” the source said. “They’re a bit stressed but not too worried because Kim Kardashian also had to rebrand and it turned out fine.”
Changing the name today would be expensive due to all of the branding work that has already been done, yet it is not regarded a disaster.
Meghan Markle launched her new lifestyle brand on social media in March, having previously filed for a trademark for the term American Riviera Orchard in February.
Her company intends to provide a variety of household goods, including cookbooks and dinnerware, as well as food and beverage products like jams and vegetable spreads. They are also exploring including rose wine in their product line.
However, the trademark application was recently refused. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) stated that “American Riviera” is a popular moniker for the Santa Barbara, California area, making the name too generic and difficult to trademark. The USPTO’s ruling was released on August 31.
The term “American Riviera” refers to the California area, which includes Montecito, where Meghan Markle resides with Prince Harry and their two children, Prince Archie (five) and Princess Lilibet (three).
Another source stated that trademark conflicts are common in the United States and may often be settled. “It looks like American Riviera Orchard has received a few routine office actions, which is normal when filing for trademarks,” a source told me.
The Sussexes have yet to remark on what happened.
