Meghan Markle is thinking about a new name for her lifestyle brand, American Riviera Orchard (ARO), in case her current name doesn’t get approved, according to a source.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently rejected her application to use the ARO name, which has caused some confusion for her team.
The source mentioned that Meghan’s team might need to find a backup name, similar to what Kim Kardashian did when she had to change her shapewear brand name from Kimono to Skims due to cultural issues.
“The team is working on alternative names just in case,” the source said. “They’re a bit stressed but not too worried because Kim Kardashian also had to rebrand and it turned out fine.”
Changing the name now would be expensive because of all the branding work already done, but it’s not considered a disaster.
In March, Meghan Markle introduced her new lifestyle brand on social media and had filed for a trademark for the name American Riviera Orchard in February.
Her company aims to sell various home goods like cookbooks and tableware, as well as food and drink products such as jams and vegetable spreads. They are also considering adding a rose wine to their product line.
However, the trademark application was recently rejected. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) said that “American Riviera” is a common nickname for the Santa Barbara, California area, which makes the name too generic and hard to trademark. The USPTO’s decision was announced on August 31.
The American Riviera refers to the California area, including Montecito, where Meghan Markle lives with Prince Harry and their children, Prince Archie, who is five, and Princess Lilibet, who is three.
Another source mentioned that trademark disputes are common in the U.S. and can usually be resolved. “It looks like American Riviera Orchard has received a few routine office actions, which is normal when filing for trademarks,” the source said.
The Sussexes have not yet commented on the situation.
Mom Leaves Note On “Disrespectful” Son’s Door, And Now It’s Going Viral
Being a parent to a cocky, disrespectful teenager is far from easy, and different parents have different approaches to get their children to behave.
One mom, Heidi Johnson, wrote a handwritten letter to her son, Aaron, and shared it on Facebook. She didn’t intend for the post to go viral. She didn’t even intend to make the post public. It was supposed to just be for friends to see, but she does not regret her post or the fact that it’s public.
In the letter to her 13-year-old son, Johnson reprimanded her son treating her like a “roommate.” She went on to give him an itemized bill for rent, food, etc that totaled over $700. If he was going to treat her like a roommate instead of his mom, she would do the same.
Johnson signed the note, “Love Mom,” and she truly does love her son. She followed up the post with another post explaining some backstory to the situation. She also reassured parents who were criticizing her that “I am not going to put my 13 year old on the street if he can’t pay his half of the rent. I am not wanting him to pay anything. I want him to take pride in his home, his space, and appreciate the gifts and blessings we have.”
She added that she never intended for Aaron to pay the bill. Instead, she wanted him to “gain an appreciation of what things cost.” The reason Johnson wrote the note was to make sure her son understood “what life would look like if I was not his ‘parent,’ but rather a ‘roommate.’ It was a lesson about gratitude and respect from the very beginning.”
Johnson also explained that before she wrote the note, her son had lied about doing his homework, and when she told him she was going to restrict his internet access, he responded, “Well, I am making money now.” She explained that the money he was referring to was a little bit of income he was making from his YouTube channel, but not nearly enough to pay for food and rent.
The public note has not hurt Johnson’s relationship with her son. She explained, “He and I still talk as openly as ever. He has apologized multiple times.”
Johnson has also had parents turning to her for advice since she posted the note to her son. She explains, “My post seems to have opened a door, and people feel safe coming to me and asking for advice, venting, or even just have someone bear witness to their experience by listening and opening up and sharing a piece of myself in return.”
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