Meghan Markle Unable to Market Clothing Under New Project Name

Meghan Markle faces yet another setback. Determined to launch her own business and improve her image, she encounters numerous obstacles, and her public acceptance remains low, especially after former employees accused her of mistreatment in the workplace. The latest development in her professional ventures reveals that the Duchess of Sussex cannot use her brand "As ever" for clothing marketing.

Recently, Harry's wife announced the rebranding of her lifestyle brand, changing its name from "American Riviera Orchad" to "As ever." Alongside this, she unveiled a new corporate image, but both the name and logo have caused issues. "It's a brand I created and poured my heart into. This new chapter is an extension of what has always been my love language, beautifully weaving everything I cherish," the Duchess explained.

However, according to the Daily Mail, she cannot use that name for clothing sales as it conflicts with a company already selling clothing. The British tabloid reports that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) partially denied the permit to market clothing and aprons because the name is similar to ASEVER, a company with the same purpose. "The marks are identical in sound and nearly identical in appearance, thus confusingly similar for determining the likelihood of confusion," the Patent Office stated. After the trademark registration was denied, Meghan's legal representatives resubmitted the application excluding clothing, meaning the Duchess's new company cannot market these products.

This isn't the first issue with her brand name, as she had to abandon the idea of "American Riviera Orchad" after the USPTO also denied registration last August, deeming it "primarily geographically descriptive," limiting its scope to products made and grown in that area.

This new setback comes after residents of the Mallorcan town of Porreres were astonished to discover that Meghan Markle's project logo suspiciously resembled their town's coat of arms. The logo features a palm tree flanked by two small birds in flight, swallows in the Spanish municipality's case and hummingbirds in the logo of King Charles III's daughter-in-law. The mayor of Porreres, Xisca Mora, described it as a "total copy." Despite this, the mayor acknowledged the difficulty of pursuing legal action for plagiarism given the town's limited resources.

Beyond business issues, Meghan Markle has recently been at the center of several controversies regarding her treatment of employees.

Jason Knauf, a former royal advisor, reiterated his 2018 allegations of Meghan's alleged mistreatment of palace staff. In an interview with '60 Minutes Australia,' Knauf stated he did not regret raising his concerns after witnessing unacceptable behavior from Meghan, which led to the resignation of two personal assistants and caused emotional stress to other workers. Meghan has always denied these accusations, calling them a "calculated smear campaign."

Additionally, other former employees have described her as "cold" and "conflictive," accusing her of fostering a tense work environment.

Despite this, Harry's wife continues to work on improving her image and returning to social media, aiming to project her more personal side by sharing some family images, such as drawings of her children, in line with her lifestyle project set to launch on March 4th, alongside her latest Netflix audiovisual work.