Meghan Markle Has Filed To Trademark The Name Of Her Podcast, “Archetypes”

April 6, 2022 / Posted by:

Now we finally know the name of Meghan Markle’s podcast with Spotify and it’s called Archetypes, which makes plenty of sense, considering Meghan and Prince Harry are really into branding that’s borrowed from their son’s name, Archie. Their non-profit charity was named Archewell, their podcasting production company is called Archewell Audio, and now we’ve got Archetypes, the first episode dropping…TBA sometime this summer. We don’t have a concrete date for that first episode’s premiere, but we do know that Meghan has been busy making sure all her legal bases are covered before it happens.

According to News.au, one of the things on Meghan’s to-do list last month was to file a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the word “archetypes.” By attempting to trademark the name, it would mean that Meghan owns the name of her podcast, and not Spotify, the platform where Archetypes will be published. That’s good if you’re a savvy business person who likes to nail down every detail before you enter into a new chapter of your life (which Meghan and Harry clearly are, as proven by their exit strategy to escape from the clutches of the Royal Family two years ago). But there’s one pretty obvious problem, and it’s that Meghan is trying to trademark a word that’s been in existence for several centuries.

It would be different if Meghan was applying for the trademark on a made-up word like Megstravaganza or a dumb catchphrase like “Markle it on your calendars!“, but the word archetypes has a full-blown Webster’s definition and everything. Technically “archetypes” is the plural of “archetype,” which is most simply defined as “a very typical example of a certain person or thing.” If Meghan is successful at buying the trademark rights to the word “Archetypes,” then not much is at risk for the un-wealthy mouths of you or I. We could still say the word. You don’t have to worry about Harry popping out of the bushes with a notice of copyright infringement if he hears you discussing archetypes with a friend. We just couldn’t, oh, let’s say, launch a podcast called “Archetypes” too. The main issue Meghan might be facing is that there’s already an existing company that has trademarked the word.

Meghan could face legal issues with her trademark application, with a skincare and cleaning company business called ‘Archetypes’ having already established a trademark.

That brand isn’t necessarily well-known enough to be competing against Meghan’s podcast. After all, a quick search of it online really just brought up dozens and dozens of Business 101 pie charts and graphics about various branding archetypes. But, considering there’s already a trademark on the word “archetypes,” she might be out of luck. Or who knows? Maybe that original trademark holder is a big Sussex fan and they’ll give it up. This could also turn messy, in the event the current trademark holder is petty and has the time, like the skincare brand that served Kim Kardashian with a cease-and-desist for trying to trademark their already existing skincare brand name. If that happens, well – good luck to them. Meghan has fought the British press and won. What’s a silly little trademark fight? Especially when you have powerful friends like Oprah Winfrey who can do some of your dirty work for you. I’m sure it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Oprah might show up in the shadows of a parking garage one day, asking if you’d rather be silent or silenced through an identity-obscuring balaclava.

Pic: INSTAR

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