Prince Harry in fresh blow as plan to expand charity in US thwarted in trademark dispute
Prince Harry has faced a fresh blow in the United States after his "vague" plans were brutally snubbed.
The Duke of Sussex co-founded the charity Sentebale in 2006. Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho co-founded Sentebale together, with the charity known for helping children and adolescents struggling to come to terms with their HIV and AIDS diagnosis.
Following the Duke of Sussex moving from England to America, his charity has now reportedly "fallen into trademark difficulties in the USA", with the issues thwarting Harry's plans to expand its operations in America.
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According to MailOnline and the Eden Confidential column by Richard Eden, the US Patent and Trademark Office have unearthed "no conflicting [trade] marks" against Sentebale, but have still "given the application the thumbs-down".
Mr Eden reveals that the office have considered parts of the application as "too vague", which was "inserted alongside category after category". He also claims that the office "also rejects the use of 'and/or' as a term 'generally not accepted'."
Mr Eden notes that if Harry still wants to go ahead with his application, he must rectify all deficiencies in his second attempt, which needs to be filed within six months. "An application must specify, in an explicit manner, the particular goods and services on or in connection with which the applicant uses, or has a bona fide intention to use, the [trade] mark in commerce," he notes.
He also notes that accounts filed in the UK last week with the Charity Commission show that donations to the charity from the American Friends of Sentebale Foundation halved in a year, with them at £610,000, compared to £1.2million last year.
This comes as the Duke of Sussex gears up to attend a service of thanksgiving today at St Paul's Cathedral for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games. The Duke co-founded the event in 2014, with the multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans.
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