The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, unveiled her new business in March – but since then, American Riviera Orchard has been beset with problems.
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It might have been a relatively quiet unveiling – just an Instagram page that showed off no more than a logo – but the launch of American Riviera Orchard earlier this year was nonetheless significant. Here was the clearest sign yet that Meghan Markle was dedicated to joining the much-lauded ranks of other lifestyle gurus peddling the Californian dream, from Gwyneth Paltrow to Martha Stewart.
Over the next few months, the Duchess of Sussex gave out 50-odd jars of branded jam and delicately packaged bags of dog biscuits to famous friends, including reality star Kris Jenner, actress Mindy Kaling and model Chrissy Teigen – all of whom excitedly posted about joining Meghan’s ‘jam club’ on Instagram. Soon, Netflix had lined up a cooking show in partnership with the Duchess, and those in the know have suggested that a rosé wine may be on the way.
Photo: Getty
As per Us Weekly, American Riviera Orchard ‘will likely be very much in line with who Meghan is as a person. She loves hosting events, and she’s very thoughtful about how she treats her guests whenever they come over’. Another source speaking to the publication revealed that we can expect Meghan’s upcoming Netflix series, which will be ‘a take on her and the joy of living’, to be in line with American Riviera Orchard’s branding – and include ‘little things she’s learned in terms of being a modern-day hostess’ as well as cameos from famous faces.
Produced by Sony Pictures Television’s ‘The Intellectual Property Corporation’, the as-yet unnamed show will revolve around Meghan’s passions, including cooking, gardening and entertaining, and comes under the couple’s $100 million Netflix deal. Filming has taken place across several locations, from a $5 million house set in eight acres of avocado and lemon trees, to Florabundance, a well-known florist in the coastal town of Carpinteria. ‘It went well, and it is in the can,’ a Hollywood source told the Daily Beast in July, meaning that the project is wrapped and ready to go.
Netflix might be ready to press play on the show, but where exactly is the much-fêted lifestyle brand to which it is linked? Last month, sources close to Meghan revealed to MailOnline that the US Patents and Trademarks Office issued Notices of Irregularities over the American Riviera Orchard’s trademark applications – noting ‘irregularities’ that must be ‘corrected’ before the full-scale launch scheduled for next year. The source confirmed that such requests for clarification are typical and entirely expected due to discrepancies between US and UK classification of goods. They stipulated that any fees regarding the delays (thought to total nearly £9000) have been paid.
Now, according to the same news outlet, Meghan may have run into a multi-billion dollar problem: a protest lodged with the Patent and Trademark Office by a firm owning the trademark ‘Royal Riviera’. The owner of the company, Harry & David, is an American institution founded in 1934, which boasts annual sales of £1.7 billion and 3,300 staff. MailOnline say that the protest has been deemed ‘relevant’ because of a ‘likelihood of confusion’, and has been referred to Marco Wright, the Trademark Office’s Examining Attorney.
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It’s the latest piece of bad luck for Meghan Markle, who (according to MailOnline) also ran into difficulty when, last month, the Patent and Trademark Office informed her that ‘American Riviera’ was too vague a term to be patented, telling her that she had three months to provide clarification, as well as paying an additional $700 (£535) to continue her application. Then, there’s the trouble she’s had been trying to secure a trademark for her now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig: last year, the Duchess hit a roadblock when she failed to submit a ‘statement of use’ with her application, meaning that her lawyer, Danielle Weiss, needed to seek a six-month extension.
Most reports suggest that American Riviera Orchard will, along with the Netflix series, launch early next year, and sources tell Us Weekly that Meghan ‘couldn’t be more excited’ about the whole project. One can only hope that the Duchess doesn’t run into any more snags between now and then – but either way, 2025 is certainly set to be a very busy year for Brand Sussex…
Originally published in Tatler.com
