RICHARD EDEN: Meghan and Harry face Archetypes patent snub

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have had a trademark application for their podcast name rejected, records show.

The couple had their application for exclusive rights to ‘Archetypes’ – the name chosen by Meghan for their podcast – refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because of the ‘likelihood of confusion’ with an existing brand.

They sought exclusive use of the name in categories like ‘downloadable audio recordings and podcasts’ for anything concerning the ‘cultural treatment of women and stereotypes facing women’.

But it was refused due to an existing trademark by Arizonian firm Archetypes LLC, which sought exclusive use in 2015 for a series of books and articles about ‘nutrition, fitness, sexuality, psychological self-improvement’ and more.

The couple’s lawyer, Marjorie Witter Norman, of Los Angeles firm Willkie, Farr & Gallagher, has applied for another three months in which to finesse the Archetypes application.

The couple had their application for exclusive rights to ‘Archetypes’ – the name chosen by Meghan for their podcast – refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office because of the ‘likelihood of confusion’ with an existing brand

They also both failed to sign their own application to the regulatory body, records show.

Meghan made the same mistake last year when she applied to reactivate ‘The Tig’ trademark — the name she favoured for the lifestyle blog she wrote before marrying Harry.

It comes after it was announced the Spotify podcast Archetypes would not be renewed for a second season as as the audio company begins to make changes and revamp its output.

The streaming giant and the Sussexes’s 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 made together’.

Meghan and Harry reportedly signed a £15million ($20million) deal with Spotify for the project in late 2020 but insiders close to the audio giant claim the royal couple did not meet the productivity benchmark required to receive the full payout, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The move to ditch the Duchess of Sussex’s show, which explores the ‘labels that try to hold women back’, follows discussions months ago about renewing it for a second series.

The axing of the show came after sources close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed the pair would stop making tell-all Netflix documentaries, publishing memoirs and sitting down for interviews that bash the Royal Family, as they have ‘nothing left to say’.

Spotify was said to have carried out conversations for a second series of Archetypes last year following 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 remain proud of the podcast they created at Spotify. Meghan is continuing to develop more content for the Archetypes audience on another platform.’

The podcast reached the top of Spotify’s charts in the week it premiered.