Ivanka Trump brand applies for, wins more China trademarks

SHANGHAI • China has granted provisional approval for four additional Ivanka Trump trademarks since April 20, and her brand has continued to seek more intellectual property protection in China, with at least 14 applications filed around the time she took on an official White House role, Chinese public records show.

Trademarks provide essential — and valuable — protection to businesses in China, whether they want to manufacture or sell their goods in the world’s second-largest economy, or simply protect their brand against squatters. But critics point to Ivanka Trump’s ongoing ownership interest in her fashion and lifestyle brand and say the trademarks, granted by the Chinese government, present potential conflicts of interest for the daughter of U.S. President Donald Trump.

All told, Ivanka Trump Marks LLC has at least 24 trademarks that were granted provisional or full approval in China, plus 43 pending marks and three invalid marks, according to Trademark Office database records.

At least seven of those provisional approvals were published after March 29, when Ivanka Trump announced she would become a federal employee, serving as an adviser to her father. Four preliminary approvals were published on April 20, May 13 and May 27. If there are no objections, those marks — covering wedding dresses and jewelry among other things — will be registered after 90 days.

Three additional trademarks for jewelry, bags and spa services were initially published in China’s Trademark Gazette on April 6, the same day Ivanka Trump dined with President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago, her father’s resort in Florida. The record of initial approval for one of them has subsequently disappeared from the database. It was not immediately clear why.

To address ethical concerns, Ivanka Trump shifted the brand’s assets to a family-run trust valued at more than US$50 million and pledged to recuse herself from government issues that present conflicts.