Paint Colors Make America Great Again
Need more than proof Donald Trump is bringing his business concern savvy to the campaign trail? He has already trademarked his "Make America Great Again" slogan.
Yes, Ronald Reagan may have said it first, but Trump is the one asserting his commercial rights to the phrase.
Trump practical for a trademark for "Brand America Groovy Over again" in Nov 2012 -- mere days after the concluding presidential election.
Trademark applications typically take a long time to process. Trump only received the "Make America Bully Again" trademark in July of this yr.
Here's where it gets interesting: The trademark is specifically for "political action committee services." In other words, information technology doesn't say anything nearly hats, T-shirts, etc.
Ever since Trump started sporting his red chapeau in early August with "Brand America Great Again," it's become a hot seller online. And not but on Trump's website.
Supporters tin buy the hat -- in numerous different colors -- for $25 directly from Trump's campaign trade website. Or they tin get a ripoff version from thousands of other sellers for as picayune equally $4.99.
Related: Anything with Trump proper name is selling fast
Trump takes legal action confronting illegal sellers
Trump has had enough of the copycats. Now he's getting his lawyer involved.
One of his first targets is CafePress, a popular website where people tin print T-shirts, java mugs and other garb. The company received a "finish and desist" letter from Trump's lawyer at the end of September.
Trump's legal team made it very articulate at that place would be a lawsuit against CafePress unless the site stopped peddling "Make America Neat Once more" merchandise.
"This isn't about money. This is almost protecting one's brand and trademark," Trump'southward lawyer Alan Garten told CNNMoney.
CafePress hasn't issued an official response, merely it's telling that in that location used to be hundreds, if non thousands, of items bachelor on CafePress with Trump's motto. Searching the site now for that slogan returns nothing with that verbal phrase.
Trump has repeatedly stressed that he'southward a billionaire who is self-funding his campaign and doesn't need outsider'southward coin. Only he has besides made it clear that he knows how to build a make. He'due south made a lot of money licensing the Trump proper noun on everything from hotels to ties.
Now he's prepare to do the same with "Make America Dandy Again."
Related: Donald Trump'due south economic system vs. Jeb Bush'due south: Who wins
Trump applies for some other trademark
To clear up any defoliation, Trump applied for another trademark on Baronial 13. This one spells out that the trademark covers bumper sticks, T-shirts, tank tops, campaign buttons, caps and hats, babe clothing, blogs. The listing goes on. It could take months, if not years, for that trademark to be approved.
In the meantime, legal experts say Trump may yet have a valid case against CafePress and other sellers.
Paul Callan, CNN's legal analyst and a former media police professor, says Trump'due south lawyers can probable build a solid case that America at present associates the phrase "Make America Swell Again" with Trump, similar to the mode people associate "Just Do It" with Nike.
"In the public mind, [Trump] has a legitimate statement that the phrase has a commercial secondary meaning," says Callan.
Related: How many jobs has Donald Trump created?
In that location are still thousands of copycat hats and shirts
For now, Trump's lawyer says the campaign will "selectively" enforce trademark rights.
CafePress is hardly the just site with copycat Trump gear. At that place are over 200 items for sale with Trump's entrada slogan on Etsy, (ETSY) over 2,000 on Amazon (AMZN) and over iv,000 on eBay. (EBAY)
When asked for comment, an Etsy spokeswoman said the company "takes intellectual property and copyright concerns very seriously" and that the site "removes items when we accept proper detect." Amazon and eBay did not reply to requests for comment.
Trump isn't the start to trademark campaign materials. Obama'south campaign applied for trademarks for the ascension sunday logo, amidst others.
In this ballot cycle, Republican Ben Carson also sent a finish and desist letter of the alphabet to CafePress for declared violation of trademark and copyright.
The company issued a response to Carson: "To infringe from a slogan that is much used in this campaign, it doesn't take a encephalon surgeon to sympathize how baseless these claims are."
Source: https://money.cnn.com/2015/10/08/investing/donald-trump-make-america-great-again-trademark/
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