Meghan Markle’s American Riviera Orchard Hit a Snag Before Its Rumored Launch

The duchess can still appeal the decision.

While the world waits for the debut of Meghan Markle's forthcoming lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard, the Duchess of Sussex was dealt a blow by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. According to WWD, the office denied Markle’s bid to use the name in documents filed on August 31.

“Registration is refused because the applied-for mark is primarily geographically descriptive,” the USPTO wrote in its filing. That may sound like a dead end for Meghan, but she and her legal team still have time to appeal the decision. The problem is the brand's connection to the American Riviera, which is a nickname for the Central California coast where Meghan and her husband, Prince Harry, currently live. The moniker can encompass areas like Santa Barbara and Montecito.

According to the USPTO, the name has the potential to confuse shoppers. The filing continued, reading, “the purchasing public would be likely to believe that the goods or services originate in the geographic place identified in the mark."

Meghan and her team haven't addressed the news, but that is in keeping with the brand's current state of affairs. Meghan announced American Riviera Orchard on March 14, 2024, though the brand's social media accounts haven't been updated since then. Instead, celebrity fans like Chrissy Teigen and Mindy Kaling have been sharing their gifts from Markle—mainly individually numbered jars of jam—on social media. The timing of the launch has also been rumored to coincide with the duchess's upcoming Netflix cooking series, which could hit the streamer in 2025.

Last month, the Daily Mail reported that the brand was handling a "trademark setback" and People noted that sources shared that things were being ironed out and that Meghan's upcoming launch wouldn't be affected.

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