General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOne big reason Trump can be tougher on Russia?
http://www.salon.com/2017/02/16/china-awards-trump-valuable-new-trademark/<snip>
SHANGHAI China has awarded President Donald Trump a valuable new trademark. The win comes after a 10-year dispute and raises a host of ethical questions about the presidents foreign intellectual property.
Chinas Trademark Office posted the registration of Trumps new mark, which became official Feb. 14, to its website Wednesday. It gives Trump the right to use his name for building construction services in China through 2027.
This may be the first foreign trademark Trump has received as president, but its unlikely to be the last. He has 49 pending trademark applications in China alone.
Critics say Trumps foreign intellectual property holdings are a conflict of interest and may violate the U.S. Constitution. But Trumps lawyer says he has taken adequate steps to distance himself from his trademark portfolio.
Justice
(7,188 posts)From mid- March - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/08/china-approves-trump-trademarks-businesses
"China has granted preliminary approval for 38 new Trump trademarks, paving the way for Donald Trump and his family to potentially develop a host of branded businesses from hotels to insurance to bodyguard and escort services, public documents show. "
kentuck
(111,111 posts)Last edited Wed Apr 12, 2017, 09:48 AM - Edit history (1)
Donald is still in business mode. The Presidency is second or third on his things to do.
But, he was trying to get his businesses into Russia and China. It looks like China beat Russia to the punch. And Donald is still making deals. Illegally and unconstitutionally. But, who's counting?
<snip from your link:>
Ethics lawyers across the political spectrum say that if Trump receives any special treatment in securing trademark rights, it would violate the US constitution, which bans public servants from accepting anything of value from foreign governments unless approved by Congress. Concerns about potential conflicts of interest are particularly sharp in China, where the courts and bureaucracy are designed to reflect the will of the ruling Communist party.
Dan Plane, a director at Simone IP Services, a Hong Kong intellectual property consultancy, said he had never seen so many applications approved so expeditiously.
For all these marks to sail through so quickly and cleanly, with no similar marks, no identical marks, no issues with specifications boy, its weird, he said.
Given the impact Trumps presidency could have on China, Plane said he would be very, very surprised if officials from the ruling Communist party were not monitoring Trumps intellectual property interests.