Current Events > Ivanka Trump's business dealings in China raise some questions

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https://apnews.com/9caf2ddbbae84bd09e9d732036d667b4

Ivanka Trumps brand continues to win foreign trademarks in China and the Philippines, adding to questions about conflicts of interest at the White House, The Associated Press has found.

On Sunday, China granted the first daughters company final approval for its 13th trademark in the last three months, trademark office records show. Over the same period, the Chinese government has granted Ivanka Trumps company provisional approval for another eight trademarks, which can be finalized if no objections are raised during a three-month comment period.

Taken together, the trademarks could allow her brand to market a lifetimes worth of products in China, from baby blankets to coffins, and a host of things in between, including perfume, makeup, bowls, mirrors, furniture, books, coffee, chocolate and honey. Ivanka Trump stepped back from management of her brand and placed its assets in a family-run trust, but she continues to profit from the business.

Ivanka Trumps refusal to divest from her business is especially troubling as the Ivanka brand continues to expand its business in foreign countries, Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, said in an email Monday. It raises significant questions about corruption, as it invites the possibility that she could be benefiting financially from her position and her fathers presidency or that she could be influenced in her policy work by countries treatment of her business.

As Ivanka Trump and her father have built their global brands, largely through licensing deals, they have pursued trademarks in dozens of countries. Those global trademarks have drawn the attention of ethics lawyers because they are granted by foreign governments and can confer enormous value. Concerns about political influence have been especially sharp in China, where the courts and bureaucracy are designed to reflect the will of the ruling Communist Party.
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The brand has filed, updated, and rigorously protected its international trademarks over the past several years in the normal course of business, especially in regions where trademark infringement is rampant, Abigail Klem, president of Ivanka Trumps brand, said in an email. We have recently seen a surge in trademark filings by unrelated third parties trying to capitalize on the name and it is our responsibility to diligently protect our trademark.

More approvals are likely to come. Online records from Chinas trademark office indicate that Ivanka Trumps company last applied for trademarks 17 of them on March 28, 2017, the day before she took on a formal role at the White House. Those records on Monday showed at least 25 Ivanka Trump trademarks pending review, 36 active marks and eight with provisional approval.

The World Intellectual Property Organizations brand database also shows that her company, Ivanka Trump Marks LLC, won three trademarks in the Philippines after her father took office. Two of them that cover clothing, including lingerie and baby clothes, were filed on Feb. 8, 2017, and registered in June and November. The third, filed on March 1, 2017, covers clothing and footwear and was registered in July.

Companies register for trademarks for a variety of reasons. They can be a sign of corporate ambition, but in many countries, like China, where trademark squatting is rampant, companies also file defensively, to block copycats from grabbing legal rights to a brands name. Trademarks are classified by category and may include items that a company does not intend to market. Some trademark lawyers also advise clients to register trademarks for merchandise that is manufactured in China, even if its not sold there.

Mainly, who is the market for Ivanka Trump brand coffins?
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Antifar posted...

Ivanka Trump stepped back from management of her brand and placed its assets in a family-run trust, but she continues to profit from the business.

I thought that was SOP for people to do to abide by the law?
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StucklnMyPants posted...

I thought that was SOP for people to do to abide by the law?

SOP is to have a blind trust.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-blind-trust-is-neither-blind-nor-trustworthy/2016/11/15/6eeca1fc-aaa5-11e6-a31b-4b6397e625d0_story.html

A blind trust is defined by federal law as one in which a federal official selects an independent trustee (with no familial ties) who sells the officials known assets and purchases investments unknown to the official.

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They need to be investigated.

I see nothing wrong
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