Meghan Markle’s Lifestyle Brand ‘As Ever:’ Is It Another Case of David vs. Goliath Trademark Dispute?
Meghan Markle is no stranger to intrigue and controversies. She’d been keeping a somewhat low profile lately but recently, she became the subject of attention again. This time, it’s not about her return to social media or her new Netflix show, With Love, Meghan, but because of a trademark dispute.
Meghan Markle’s Rebranding of American Riviera to As Ever
In an Instagram video uploaded to her @meghan account, Markle revealed that she had changed her business name from American Riviera to “a name I secured in 2022.” Her new lifestyle brand is now called As Ever, and she also shared that Netflix is partnering with her on the venture.
However, as it turns out, there is a clothing brand based in New York City that is also called “As Ever” and has been in the business since 2017. In an interview with The U.S. Sun, owner Mark Kolski is adamant that he will not change his company’s name and is “exploring all possibilities.”
Kolski said, “I’m a very small business, it’s a family-run operation. I’m essentially a one-man band. This new venture has the power and money of Netflix behind it.” He added, “Even if I wanted to do something I don’t think I have the behemoth of lawyers and money that are behind this.”
This news comes in light of another dispute, in which the mayor of a Spanish town claimed that the Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever lifestyle brand logo is an “exact copy” of their town’s emblem. As reported by El País (via The New York Post) the mayor of Porreres (a municipality in Mallorca), Xisca Mora, stated that Markle’s company logo is nearly identical to the village’s traditional coat of arms, which dates back to 1370, and expressed hope that the Duchess would consider changing the logo.
Mora said that if Meghan Markle does not consider changing the logo, they will not be able to sue for plagiarism since it’s “complicated and costly, and a small-town council like ours is not in a position to fight against the English crown.” She added, “Every single town in Mallorca has its own symbol or coat of arms, and it is very important to our identity, and people are upset that ours is being used to sell products like jam around the world.”
Similar cases of smaller business ventures facing a trademark dispute against celebrities have been happening. Hailey Bieber, who launched her skincare brand Rhode, was also involved in a “David vs. Goliath” trademark dispute with a clothing and lifestyle company based in New York that already owned the rights to the same name.
The two-year legal dispute reached a settlement in 2024, per Marie Claire.
Kim Kardashian’s skin care, SKKN BY KIM, was also involved in a lawsuit for trademark infringement by Brooklyn-based esthetician Cydnie Lunsford who claimed her company has used “the SKKN+ brand in Washington, D.C., and/or New York, New York, since at least August 2018,” per LA Times.
