Meghan Markle is attempting to trademark the centuries old English word “archetypes” after deciding to use it as the name for her first round of podcasts on Spotify.
The Duchess of Sussex made the application over the use of “archetypes” to the United States Patent and Trademark Office last month.
The word archetype first entered the English language around the 1540s and has Latin and Greek origins.
But Meghan wants to take ownership of the word where the use is “in the fields of cultural treatment of women and stereotypes facing women” - and includes a long list of goods and services.
This can be anything from podcasts, to the internet or television programmes.
Harry and Meghan’s company Archewell Audio, rather than Spotify, made the application in the tax haven of Delaware.
But Meghan could face challenges from the many other companies that already use the word archetypes.
Archetypes will launch this summer, hosted by Meghan who will speak to historians, experts and women who have experienced being typecast.
In a teaser trailer, Meghan said that the project will “dissect, explore, and subvert the labels that try to hold women back” through conversations with other women.
It will be 18 months since the Sussexes agreed a lucrative deal with Spotify that is thought to be worth £18 million.
In a trailer for the Archewell Audio project released on Thursday, male voices are heard saying derogatory remarks about women including "she's a slut" and "a little emotionally unstable".
Meghan follows the excerpts, saying: "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?"
A male voice is heard saying "weaker, smaller, they are less intelligent" with a female voice saying: "People think I should be quiet and submissive".
When the Sussexes signed their deal with Spotify their foundation stated: "As we all continue to tackle the misinformation era, Archewell Audio has found it important to work with our partners at Spotify to ensure that the digital technologies so many of us use every day are rooted in strong principles of trust and safety."
