Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, launched her new lifestyle brand "American Riviera Orchard" on Instagram yesterday and I've noticed there are already over 10 fake accounts with usernames such as "americanrivieraorchaard", "americanrivieraorchardx" and "americanrivieraorchardshop". Meghan's legitimate account was quickly granted the Instagram "blue tick" badge but that hasn't stopped some of the fake accounts racking up thousands of followers. Many of the pages have reposted Meghan's launch video and most feature the brand's logo, so there should be scope for at least a copyright complaint against these fake accounts.
Meghan filed a US trade mark application for the brand in February 2024 under the company name "Mama Knows Best LLC" covering goods such as tableware, cookbooks, kitchen textiles and jams as well as retail store services and online recipe books. A later application on 9 March 2024 covers further goods including gardening tools, tote bags, yoga mats, aprons and pet treats amongst others.
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