Trump Files Trademark Applications Allowing Him To Plaster His Name on Merchandise for Sale During America’s 250th Birthday Party

America’s 250th birthday celebration this year is shaping up to be as much a celebration of the man currently occupying the White House as it is a commemoration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, if recent trademark applications filed by President Trump’s lawyers are any indication.Mr. Trump’s handlers are laying the groundwork for all manner of merchandise to be on offer in our nation’s capital during the festivities. If the filings are any indication, visitors to Washington D.C. will be able to buy everything from golf balls and water bottles to underwear and bathing suits bearing the “Trump 250” logo.Also on tap, a whole host of merch emblazoned with the “Trump Kennedy Center” logo and name, despite the fact that Congress has yet to formally change the name of the iconic performing arts center on the east bank of the Potomac River.Since taking office, Mr. Trump has taken aggressive actions to have the White House and the wider capital city better reflect his own personal style. New gold trimmings in the Oval Office, the construction of a new ballroom, ripping up the Rose Garden lawn to install a patio inspired by Mar-a-Lago, and embracing the “Trump Kennedy Center” name change are just a few of those changes. On Friday, his personal business began filing trademarks on a host of possible merchandise options that could conceivably be sold in association with the 250 anniversary, according to filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The filings were first reported by NOTUS.The trademarks applications were sent in by DTTM Operations LLC — a Delaware-based company which manages the naming rights of various buildings and business ventures owned by the president. It owns trademarked names such as “Trump Tower,” “The Trump Spa,” and “Trump T,” the name of the logo for the president’s vodka brand. The company even still owns the naming rights to the “Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort,” a casino in Atlantic City widely considered one of the worst business ventures of Mr. Trump’s career. On Friday, the trademark application for the phrase “Trump 250” — as well as a watermark set to be used for merchandise — was filed. The application lists five “classes” of items which will bear the president’s name in association with the nation’s quarter-millennial anniversary.The items trademarked are stickers — including bumper stickers — tote bags and other “reusable” bags, and drinkware, including water bottles, glassware, and bowls. The president’s company filed a trademark for golf balls and other sports equipment as well. To whom or what the profits from the sale of those items will flow remains to be seen. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the trademark application. The trademark office’s records show that the president’s firm has similarly trademarked the phrase to be used for a host of clothing items. Hats, footwear, shirts, sweatshirts, jackets, pants, dresses, socks, underwear, belts, bathing suits, and ties are just some of the items Mr. Trump apparently plans to sell during this year. Mr. Trump’s trademarks were filed by Florida-based attorney Michael Santucci, a lawyer specializing in entertainment law, intellectual property, and celebrity name rights. The cost for filing the trademark applications for those four classes of items cost $1,750. In the sworn statement as part of the trademark applications, Mr. Santucci checked the box which stated that Mr. Trump has “a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce,” as well as a “bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce as of the application filing date on or in connection with the goods/services in the application.”According to two other filings, there are additional Trump allies pursuing naming rights ahead of this year’s 250th anniversary celebration. In one trademark application filed last week, the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center — the memorial’s official name under federal law, despite loyalists’ attempts to add Mr. Trump’s name — asked that the term, “The Trump Kennedy Center” be trademarked. Across the ten classes listed in their application, the trustees say that the name will be used for things such as posters, wrist watches, bags, mugs, luggage, and other items. The move marks the latest step of Mr. Trump taking an active role in — and trying to personally associate himself with — the nation’s most important birthday to date. He plans on hosting a number of events this year in the nation’s capital, including the NFL draft on the National Mall and a UFC fight on the White House lawn. He has also floated the idea of having an F1-style race — not unlike the Monaco Grand Prix — through the streets of Washington, though that would require congressional approval.

Trump Files Trademark Applications Allowing Him To Plaster His Name on Merchandise for Sale During America’s 250th Birthday Party

Trump Files Trademark Applications Allowing Him To Plaster His Name on Merchandise for Sale During America’s 250th Birthday Party

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