The Florida Legislature may have passed a bill to rename the Palm Beach International Airport after Donald Trump. However, a trademark filed in representation of the president’s conglomerate has raised several questions about the intentions behind this move. The doubters have highlighted that the filing would allow the Trump Organization to make money from the modification, which would set the wrong precedent.
Florida airport name change raises suspicion
On Tuesday, Florida’s House of Representatives passed a House Bill that proposed changing the Palm Beach airport’s name in honor of Donald Trump with an 81-30 vote. Shortly afterward, the private firm that looks after the Trump Organization’s licensing needs filed a trademark application for the same.
The move has received backlash from many, including Democratic Florida state Senator Shevrin Jones, who opposed the renaming of the airport, despite championing the cause initially. “No president, Democrat or Republican, should be able to benefit” from such trademarks, Jones emphasized.
Kimberly Benza, the director of executive operations at Trump Organization, has since issued a clarification, stating, “To be clear, the President and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming.” She also mentioned that as the bill requires a license agreement from the organization, they are “willing to provide this right to his hometown county at no charge,” as per CNN.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben has pointed out that the anomalous nature of the move, with no former leader or their families having ever filed for a trademark for hubs named after them. For instance, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority owns the trademark for the Reagan National Airport.
Gerben also revealed that the Florida airport name trademark would allow Donald Trump and his company to monetize a number of relevant goods and services, including watches, clocks, jewelry, airport baggage check-in, and more. “There could be a whole market at the airport, or even off the airport premises. And again, Trump Org would own the trademark and be able to license that name to anybody that was making and selling that merchandise,” he said.
Notably, Benza has refrained from clarifying the Trump Organization’s intentions with merchandising opportunities that come with the trademark.
