MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA: The US Patent and Trademark Office recently rejected Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's application to have exclusive rights to "Archetypes," a name chosen by the Duchess of Sussex for their podcast.
Officials reportedly refused to grant the couple exclusive rights to the name for their podcast show due to the "likelihood of confusion" with another existing brand, as per the Daily Mail. The latest business blow comes after it was revealed that Prince Harry and Markle's Spotify podcast 'Archetypes' would not be renewed for a second season.
Who owns Archetypes LLC?
The exclusive rights to the name "Archetypes" was refused to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by US Patent and Trademark Office due to Archetypes LLC, an Arizonian firm. While the name of the owners of the firm remains unknown, reports suggest that the company sought exclusive use of the name in 2015 for a series of articles and books about "nutrition, fitness, sexuality, psychological self-improvement," among others.
Harry and Markle were reportedly seeking exclusive use of the name in categories like "downloadable audio recordings and podcasts" for topics related to the "cultural treatment of women and stereotypes facing women." Marjorie Witter Norman, the couple's lawyer from Los Angeles firm Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, has reportedly applied for another three months time to "finesse" the application for Archetypes trademark.
Records revealed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also failed to sign their own application to the regulatory body. Markle reportedly made a similar mistake last year when she submitted an application to reactivate "The Tig" trademark, a name she preferred for a lifestyle blog she wrote before marrying Prince Harry.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle 'mutually agreed' to part ways with Spotify
Earlier this month, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's audio production company Archewell Audio and streaming giant Spotify released a joint statement saying that they have "mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together." The news came after several reports hinted towards Spotify having discussions for a second season of 'Archetypes' last year after the end of the first season. However, the talks eventually came to a halt.
Sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed that the podcast was axed after the couple allegedly decided to stop doing interviews about the royal family and put an end to making tell-all Netflix documentaries and publishing memoirs as they have "nothing left to say." WME, the talent agency that recently signed Markle, allegedly told the Wall Street Journal, "The team behind Archetypes remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform."
