Yes We Can Make America Great Again Hat
Need more proof Donald Trump is bringing his business savvy to the entrada 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 "Make America Keen Over again" in November 2012 -- mere days after the terminal presidential election.
Trademark applications typically take a long time to process. Trump only received the "Make America Swell Over again" trademark in July of this year.
Here's where it gets interesting: The trademark is specifically for "political activity commission services." In other words, information technology doesn't say anything almost hats, T-shirts, etc.
Always since Trump started sporting his red hat in early August with "Make America Nifty Again," information technology's become a hot seller online. And not but on Trump's website.
Supporters can buy the hat -- in numerous different colors -- for $25 directly from Trump's campaign trade website. Or they tin can get a ripoff version from thousands of other sellers for as piddling as $4.99.
Related: Anything with Trump name is selling fast
Trump takes legal activeness against 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 can print T-shirts, coffee mugs and other garb. The company received a "end and desist" letter from Trump's lawyer at the end of September.
Trump's legal squad made it very clear there would be a lawsuit against CafePress unless the site stopped peddling "Make America Cracking Again" trade.
"This isn't about money. This is about protecting i's brand and trademark," Trump's lawyer Alan Garten told CNNMoney.
CafePress hasn't issued an official response, but information technology'due south telling that at that place used to be hundreds, if not thousands, of items available 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'due south a billionaire who is self-funding his campaign and doesn't need outsider'south money. But he has besides fabricated information technology clear that he knows how to build a brand. He's made a lot of money licensing the Trump name on everything from hotels to ties.
Now he'southward set to do the aforementioned with "Make America Great Once again."
Related: Donald Trump's economy vs. Jeb Bush-league's: Who wins
Trump applies for another trademark
To clear up whatever confusion, Trump applied for another trademark on August xiii. This one spells out that the trademark covers bumper sticks, T-shirts, tank tops, campaign buttons, caps and hats, baby clothing, blogs. The listing goes on. It could take months, if non years, for that trademark to be canonical.
In the concurrently, legal experts say Trump may notwithstanding have a valid case against CafePress and other sellers.
Paul Callan, CNN's legal analyst and a onetime media law professor, says Trump's lawyers can probable build a solid instance that America now assembly the phrase "Make America Great Once more" with Trump, similar to the manner people acquaintance "Just Do It" with Nike.
"In the public mind, [Trump] has a legitimate argument that the phrase has a commercial secondary meaning," says Callan.
Related: How many jobs has Donald Trump created?
There 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 simply site with copycat Trump gear. At that place are over 200 items for auction with Trump's entrada slogan on Etsy, (ETSY) over two,000 on Amazon (AMZN) and over 4,000 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 nosotros have proper notice." Amazon and eBay did not reply to requests for comment.
Trump isn't the offset to trademark campaign materials. Obama'south campaign practical for trademarks for the rising sun logo, among others.
In this election wheel, Republican Ben Carson too sent a cease and desist letter to CafePress for alleged 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 brain surgeon to understand how baseless these claims are."
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Source: https://money.cnn.com/2015/10/08/investing/donald-trump-make-america-great-again-trademark/
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