A Filipino entrepreneur is unfazed by a possible legal battle against famous royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle over a trademark issue.
Victor Martin Soriano, owner of deodorant and cosmetic brand ‘Archewell Harvatera’ filed for his products’ trademark in the Philippines last July 2020.
However, the application received opposition from a company named Cobblestone Lane LLC, which represents the royal couple.
“Megan Markle has blocked from America the final registration of Martin Soriano’s “Archewell Harvatera” in the Philippines through her legal counsel Federis & Associates Law Offices,” Soriano said in a Twitter post in December 2020.
Meghan Markle Blocks Martin Soriano’s “Archewell Harvatera”
Megan Markle has blocked from America the final registration of Martin Soriano’s “Archewell Harvatera” in the Philippines through her legal counsel Federis & Associates Law Offices (141 Valero Cor. Sendeno Sts. pic.twitter.com/WH0tQBj6Wt— ARCHEWELL HARVATERA (@viktorphilippi1) December 5, 2020
It was April last year when the couple filed a trademark application for their non-for-profit foundation named “The Archewell Foundation”. However, it hit a bump because they were not able to accomplish all the documents needed, The Sun reported.
Meanwhile, Soriano said in an interview with the World Trademark Review that his trademark is not related or patterned after the royal couple’s brand.
“Harvatera is my own unique word – almost virgin in any world language as much as Archewell is. Put it together with Archewell and it becomes an entirely different word with another meaning in a much different Nice category altogether,” Soriano explained.
“You bet I can slug it out with them when it comes to legality, which I will. Fresh from her legal victories, I expect Meghan to take me head-on. All I can say is bring it on – I’ll fight you, you’ll see. We both have active marks so it’s a showdown and I’m not backing out if that’s how they handle things. It’s a duel to the death, I will never give up!” Soriano added.
Soriano admitted that he is “anti-Meghan” but would be willing to “give up everything out of respect” if it is Queen Elizabeth who would request him to do so.
“If the Queen asks me to withdraw, I will do it promptly, no questions asked. But Meghan, we call her the Wicked Witch of the West,” he said. “We’re really nice people here [in the Philippines]. This affects me but I’m willing to fight to the death out of principle.
“I think I should win because I’m a small guy from a poor small country about to be swallowed by a greedy monster. I must succeed in this fight,” he said.
