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Meghan Markle‘s lifestyle rebrand takes another hit as the US patent office rejects her trademark request to have As Ever produce clothing. The Duchess of Sussex announced her lifestyle rebrand last week, revealing a change in her brand name from American Riviera Orchard to As Ever, because the former name limited her to things produced within the area. Her lifestyle rebrand followed a hitch in her trademark application for ARO, which was rejected last year after the patenting office determined she was not allowed to trademark an existing geographical name. She made another trademark application to the US Patent and Trademark Office,” for As Ever, listing products she intends to sell under the brand, including clothing.
However, reports claim the application for her lifestyle brand As Ever to sell clothing got rejected, marking yet another setback in her trademark application. The patent office rejected her application over fears of potential confusion with a thriving Chinese clothing company called ASEVER, which already exists in the same industry. The reports also suggest Meghan Markle’s team attempted to include aprons in her trademark application but decided against it last minute.
Meghan Markle Reviews Product Range After Trademark Rejection
Determined to meet up with the launch of her As Ever brand on March 4, alongside her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan as planned, the star had to come up with a fix, without deflecting too much from the original concept of her lifestyle brand. Meghan Markle has now shifted her focus to dried food items like dried biscuits and crepe mixes per The Telegraph.
The duchess made the initial trademark application for As Ever in October 2022 but sidelined it in favor of American Riveria Orchard. Records show her team revived the application again last September, following the rejection of her request to trademark ARO. Under her new brand name, the actress-turned-royal would stick to similar products as proposed for her ARO brand, including gardening tools, tableware, birdhouses, butter, wine bags, chocolates and jelly.
Additionally, Meghan Markle’s As Ever brand would include dried food mixes and non-alcoholic drinks, previously not included in earlier trademark applications for ARO. Her potential product range includes edible dried flowers, candy sprinkles, cocoa powder, and crystallised sugar. Recipe books, jewelry, and stationery were also listed in the application, as well as downloadable digital material like podcasts, newsletters, and TV shows.
Markle Slammed Over Multiple Rebrand Hurdles
Since news of Meghan Markle’s latest trademark rejection went public, several netizens have blasted the duchess for encountering another setback she could have avoided with prior proper research. One Reddit user pointed out that these constant changes proved her brand lacked vision. They wrote,
“It seems like she’s throwing everything at the wall and seeing if anything sticks. There just doesn’t seem to be a clear vision for this brand. Jam, olive oil, aprons, honey, clothes, dishes, now baking mixes – I guess the vision is ‘things you can pick up at any store or farmer’s market for much cheaper but this one is from Meghan Markle so it’s more expensive.'”
Another tagged it a show of incompetence, writing,
“I love Meggy’s brand. 🤣 it’s so entertaining to me. The incompetence on display provides me with hours of enjoyment. I just love how it perfectly captures her particular kind of crazy. It’s so funny.”
While trademark and brand-name setbacks are common hurdles most new businesses face at inception, fans have pointed out how alarming that in Meghan Markle’s case, the hitches stem from avoidable issues. In fact, before the trademark rejection, Markle was already facing criticism for her decision to use the As Ever brand name.
A small New York-based clothing company with the same name called out the Suits alum for using the As Ever, which could potentially drive them out of business. The business owner appealed to Markle to rethink her name use since they had built their business around it since 2015. Her logo for the brand has also stirred ruckus, with the mayor of Porreres reportedly considering a lawsuit against the mom of two for allegedly plagiarizing the town’s coat of arms. Despite the many setbacks, Meghan Markle remains determined to stick to plans and launch her lifestyle brand in full force come March 4.
