Officially finished! Meghan ends Archetypes podcast after withdrawing trademark application for title
- Meghan’s multi-million pound Spotify deal was canceled in June this year
- The application was withdrawn after 17 months of unsuccessful battle.
The Duchess of Sussex has abandoned her dream of trademarking her Archetypes podcast after officially withdrawing her name protection request.
Meghan’s multi-million pound Spotify deal was canceled in June this year after it was announced that the Archetypes podcast would not be renewed for a second season.
The move was reportedly officially a “mutual” decision between the streaming giant and Archewell Audio – the Duchess and Prince Harry’s company.
But sources close to the £15million deal – which was signed by the couple in 2020 – said it was abandoned after the couple failed to produce enough content to justify paying in full .
And Bill Simmons, head of Spotify, went further, describing the couple as “fucking crooks,” an Americanism for crooks.
The Duchess of Sussex gave up on her dream of dropping her Archetypes podcast
Meghan’s (pictured on the podcast) multi-million pound Spotify deal was canceled in June this year after it was announced that the Archetypes podcast would not be renewed for a second season.
However, applications filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) reveal that Archewell “relaunched” its trademark bid for the Archetypes podcast title, even after dropping the deal with Spotify.
But the application was withdrawn after 17 months of unsuccessful battle to protect the title.
Meghan’s quest to obtain a trademark for the name began in March last year, when the application was first filed. But in January, the USPTO rejected it due to “likelihood of confusion” with an existing trademark of the same name.
Archetypes – a word that first appeared in English 470 years ago – was previously registered by US company Project Miracle IP Holdings in May 2018.
Project Miracle registered the name for “providing a website featuring non-downloadable blogs and publications, namely articles in the fields of nutrition, fitness, sexuality, self-improvement psychological, personality identification and matching, personal relationships and dating, spirituality, horoscopes and astrology, fashion, music, book reviews and recommendations.
The Sussexes’ attorney handling the case then requested an “extension” to provide a response, giving them until July 18 to respond to the USPTO’s “non-final action” of rejecting the brand.
It was around this time – in June of this year – that it was announced that Spotify would not renew the podcast for another season and dropped the pair.
The podcast, which aired 12 episodes in total, sought to “examine and overturn labels that seek to limit women.”
However, on July 24, the USPTO received a “petition to revive” the trademark application.
It was submitted that Archewell “respectfully disagrees that a likelihood of confusion exists” and “requests that the refusal be withdrawn.”
The request was revived shortly after, before the couple decided to end the battle once and for all last month by withdrawing by filing an “express waiver.”
The podcast, which aired 12 episodes in total, included guests Paris Hilton, Mindy Kaling and Serena Williams, with the aim of “examining and overturning labels that seek to limit women.”
It also won the People’s Choice Award for Pop Podcast of 2022.
A representative for the Sussexes has been contacted for comment.
