IS it possible to trademark a historic word of more than 500 years that is still in use today? Meghan Markle is trying to do so.
Which word?
The Duchess of Sussex - via her company, Archewell Audio - is trying to trademark the word 'archetypes', after announcing it will be the name of her first series of podcasts with streaming giant Spotify.
It comes after…?
It was reported the American-based Duke and Duchess of Sussex signed a $25 million multi-year deal with the music streaming platform in December 2020. In a joint statement then, the couple said: “What we love about podcasting is that it reminds all of us to take a moment and to really listen, to connect to one another without distraction.”
What will her podcast be about?
‘Archetypes’ will be hosted by the Duchess, who will speak to historians and women on the subject of being typecast. In a trailer for the project, she says: "This is how we talk about women - the words that raise our girls and how the media reflects women back to us. But where do these stereotypes come from? And how do they keep showing up and defining our lives." The podcast will, she said, "dissect, explore and subvert the labels that try to hold women back".
And now?
Ms Markle has applied to the US Patent and Trademark Office for exclusive use of the word, saying if trademarked to her, it would cover a long list of entertainment services "in the fields of cultural treatment of women and stereotypes facing women”.
However?
Although trademarking words linked with firms and products is a common practice, to ensure brands are safeguarded, the word 'archetypes' is in common use even now. Derived from ancient Greek, it first entered the English language in the 1540s and the Cambridge dictionary defines it as: “Typical of an original thing from which others are copied”, while the Oxford dictionary describes it as: “The most typical or perfect example of a particular kind of person or thing.”
It’s not their first trademark battle?
When Prince Harry and his new wife departed the UK and stepped down from royal duties, initial suggestions they planned to use their royal status to sell a variety of products using the royal family name sparked controversy. In June 2019, they filed an application in the UK to register "Sussex Royal" as a trademark, along with the name of their foundation - "Sussex Royal - The Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex". The couple later withdrew their applications.
Posh?
Twenty years ago, Victoria Beckham, AKA Posh Spice, tried to prevent the Championship football team Peterborough United from trademarking their club's nickname “Posh”, saying it was “inexorably associated" with her, but the club still use it now.
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