Trump hopes China doesn't flush intellectual property down drain
SHANGHAI — There’s a Trump toilet, a Trump condom, a Trump pacemaker and even a Trump International Hotel among hundreds of trademarks in China that don’t belong to President Trump.
But after a decade of grinding battle in China’s courts, the president was expected to get an unlikely win this week: the rights to his own name.
Trump’s late victory in the fight to wrest back one sliver of his brand — the trademark for building construction services — could signal a shift in fortune for the U.S. president’s intellectual property in China. At stake are 49 pending trademark applications — all made during his campaign — and 77 marks already registered in his name, most of which will come up for renewal during his term.
The case also raises the possibility that the president could claw back control of more than 225 Trump-related marks in China that do not belong to him.
To some, it also illustrates how Trump’s efforts to consolidate control over his brand could be used to extend or withhold favor, especially in a country like China where the courts and bureaucracy are influenced by the ruling Communist Party.
Trump’s foreign trademarks have raised red flags with ethics lawyers across the political spectrum who say they present grave conflicts of interest and may violate the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Alan Garten, chief legal officer of The Trump Organization, said the Chinese trademarks were already in the works before the election, and the president has turned management of his company over to his children and a team of executives.