RICHARD EDEN: New business blow to Meghan and Harry as US officials REFUSE to grant the Archetypes patents – barely a week after the $20 million Spotify deal was dumped
- The US Patent and Trademark Office has rejected the application for the trademark ‘Archetypes’
- It said there was a “likelihood of confusion” with an existing Arizona company
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have turned down a trademark application for their podcast name, records show.
The couple had their application for exclusive rights to ‘Archetypes’ – the name Meghan chose for their podcast – rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office because of the ‘likelihood of confusion’ with an existing trademark.
They sought exclusive use of the name in categories such as “downloadable audio recordings and podcasts” for anything related to the “cultural treatment of women and stereotypes faced by women.”
But it was denied because of an existing trademark owned by the Arizona firm Archetypes LLC, which sought exclusive use in 2015 for a series of books and articles on “nutrition, fitness, sexuality, psychological self-improvement,” and more.
The couple’s attorney, Marjorie Witter Norman, of Los Angeles firm Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, has requested an additional three months to refine the Archetypes application.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have turned down a trademark application for their podcast name, records show
The couple had their application for exclusive rights to ‘Archetypes’ – the name Meghan had chosen for their podcast – rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office because of the ‘likelihood of confusion’ with an existing trademark
They also both failed to sign their own filing with the regulatory body, the data shows.
Meghan made the same mistake last year when she applied to reactivate “The Tig” trademark – the name she loved for the lifestyle blog she wrote before marrying Harry.
It comes after it was announced that the Spotify podcast Archetypes would not be renewed for a second season as the audio company begins to make changes and refresh its output.
The streaming giant and Sussex audio production company Archewell Audio released a joint statement this month saying they have ‘mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we have created together’.
Meghan and Harry reportedly signed a £15 million ($20 million) deal with Spotify for the project in late 2020, but insiders close to the audio giant claim the royal couple failed to meet the productivity benchmark required to receive the full payout . Wall Street Journal reported.
The move to cancel the Duchess of Sussex’s show, which explores the ‘labels that try to stop women’, follows discussions months ago about renewing for a second series.
The show’s halt came after sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed the couple would stop making telltale Netflix documentaries, publishing memoirs and attending interviews bashing the royal family, saying they’re “doing nothing”. have more to say’.
Spotify reportedly held talks for a second series of Archetypes last year after the end of the first season, but talks later stalled.
The talent agency that recently signed Meghan, WME, told the Wall Street Journal, “The team behind Archetypes continues to be proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan will continue to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.”
The podcast reached the top of Spotify’s charts the week it premiered.