The Trump family business files for trademark rights to any airports using the president’s name

NEW YORK (AP) — A Trump family company has filed to trademark the use of the president’s name at airports but says it doesn’t plan to charge a fee — at least for a proposed name change near his Florida home.

Applications filed with the Federal Trademark Office by the Trump Organization seek exclusive rights to use the president’s name at airports and dozens of related items found there, from buses that shuttle passengers to umbrellas and travel bags to flight suits. The filings come amid controversy over a state bill to name Palm Beach Airport in Florida after Trump and a dispute over funding for a tunnel between New York and New Jersey and a proposal to name Dulles International Airport in Virginia after him.

The Trump Organization said the applications were triggered by the Florida bill and that it sought no profit — only protection against “bad actors” claiming the Trump name is “the most infringed trademark in the world.”

“To be clear, the president and his family will not receive any royalties, license fees, or financial consideration from the naming of the proposed airport,” the company said in a statement, which is now called Palm Beach International Airport near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club.

The company did not respond when asked whether it would charge royalties for future use of the name at other airports or on merchandise listed for protection in the filing.

Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney who disclosed the files over the weekend, said the applications are the first of their kind he’s seen.

“Presidents and public officials have had landmarks named in their honor, but a private company of a sitting president has never sought trademark rights before such a designation in the history of the United States,” Gerben wrote on his blog. “These are trademark filings that are completely unprecedented.”

Another break with the past: Presidents often have to wait years after leaving office — or die — to get an airport named after them.

Bill Clinton had to wait 11 years, Ronald Reagan nine years. It took 22 years for Gerald Ford. JFK was the fastest – a month after he was assassinated.

If Trump gets his airport, it will replace the Kennedy Center performing arts venue, President Donald J. Trump Boulevard will join a long line of organizations, buildings and other public objects renamed for him in recent months, including a road outside Mar-a-Lago and a yet-to-be-built new class of battleships.

Airport trademark applications filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office by a family company entity called DTTM Operations name three — President Donald J. Trump International Airport, Donald J. Trump International Airport and DJT are for use.

The Trump Company’s claim that it is the most infringing trademark in the world was not quickly confirmed.

Gucci has faced thousands of copycat items since the early 1970s when Trump began working in Manhattan real estate. Prada has been suing the companies for years, and Rolex has been battling counterfeit watches for millions.

The family has been on a branding game in the past year, placing the Trump name on towers, golf resorts and residential developments in Dubai, India, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. The company also sells Trump brand electric guitars, Bibles and sneakers, which fall under the DTTM unit.

In response to criticism that he and his family are profiting from the presidency, Trump has said that his business is held in trust by his sons and that he has no day-to-day involvement in the company.