Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 13 March 2017

Mexico OKs new Trump trademarks for hotels and tourism

PETER ORSI the brand, said Ashwinpaul
BERNARD CONDON C. Sondhi of A.C. Sondhi &
Associated Press Associates, an investment
MEXICO CITY (AP) — On consultancy in Safety Har-
Feb. 19, 2016, at a cam- bor, Florida.
paign rally in North Charles- Mexican political analyst
ton, South Carolina, then- Alejandro Hope said IMPI is
candidate Donald Trump generally considered to be
gave a stump speech in apolitical and the trade-
which he railed against mark concession was most
American jobs moving likely a technical decision.
to Mexico: “We lose our More remarkable, Hope
jobs, we close our facto- said, was that the appli-
ries, Mexico gets all of the cation was filed during a
work,” he said. “We get heated campaign when
nothing.” “he had already started
That same day a law firm using Mexico as a pinata”
in Mexico City quietly filed for political purposes.
on behalf of his company “What I find striking is that
for trademarks on his name these guys were thinking
that would authorize the about doing business in
Trump brand, should it Mexico while they were
choose, to set up shop in a In this Nov. 10, 2016 file photo, a banner with an image of Donald Trump to promot an exhibition trashing Mexico on the
country with which he has that features dozens of works by Mexican and international cartoonists, mocking amongst other campaign trail,” Hope
sparred over trade, migra- things the U.S. president derogatory statements about Mexicans and his plans to build a wall be- added.
tion and the planned bor- tween the two countries, in downtown Mexico City. Trump has a spotty busi-
der wall. Associated Press ness past in the country.
The Trump trademarks by Congress. ing foreign operations or by under George W. Bush, said Last decade he and his
have now been granted The Mexican trademarks easing the way for future the Mexican grants are in children aggressively pro-
by the Mexican Institute cover a broad range ones after he leaves the an ethical “gray” area: de- moted a luxury hotel and
of Industrial Property, or of business operations that Oval Office. fensive in nature now, per- condo development with
IMPI for its initials in Span- can roughly be broken Trump Organization Gen- haps, but setting the presi- the Trump name on it that
ish. Records show the last down into construction; eral Counsel Alan Garten dent up to profit when he was planned for the north-
three were approved Feb. construction materials; ho- said the Mexican govern- leaves office. ern Baja California coast,
21, just over a month af- tels, hospitality and tourism; ment’s decision was not a “To what extent is this ap- near Tijuana. In December
ter Trump took office, and and real estate, financial special favor to the presi- propriate? I don’t know,” 2006, 188 units were sold
a fourth was granted last services and insurance. dent. Painter said. “We nev- for $122 million during an
Oct. 6, about a month be- They are all valid through “We’re not being granted er had Obama running event at a hotel in San Di-
fore the U.S. election. 2026. anything we didn’t have around the world locking ego.
Trump’s company has The same four trademarks before,” he said. The origi- up his name, or Bush.” But the Trump Ocean Re-
notched several trade- were previously held in the nal trademarks came Intellectual property law- sort Baja Mexico project
mark wins recently. The name of Donald J. Trump “years before (Trump) even yer Enrique Alberto Diaz collapsed, and dozens of
Associated Press reported and expired in 2015, a year announced his candida- Mucharraz is listed on the buyers who had lost their
Wednesday that the Chi- before the new applica- cy.” trademark filings. A junior 30 percent deposits sued in
nese government recently tions. The new approvals Garten said the Mexican partner at the Mexico City March 2009. Trump settled
granted preliminary ap- list the trademark owner as trademarks originally had law firm Goodrich Riquelme out of court in November
proval for 38 trademarks to the company DTTM Opera- two purposes: laying the y Asociados, he declined 2013 for an undisclosed
Trump and a related com- tions LLC, with an address ground for possible new to comment citing cli- sum; in a separate settle-
pany. That sparked out- in the Trump Tower on Fifth ventures and keeping other ent confidentiality rules. ment the previous year,
rage from some Democrat- Avenue in New York. people from using Trump’s Phones rang unanswered developer Irongate, which
ic senators and critics, who As president Trump has name for their own busi- at the public relations of- had licensed the Trump
have been pushing Trump handed management of nesses. fice of IMPI, and there was name, agreed to pay the
to sever financial ties with his business to his two adult He said the trademarks are no response to an emailed buyers $7.25 million.
his global businesses to sons and vowed to strike no wholly defensive now. request for comment on a On the Caribbean island
avoid potential violations new deals abroad while he “Circumstances have list of questions. of Cozumel, near Can-
of the emoluments clause is in office. However critics changed,” Garten said. Trademarks can prove cun, Trump tried in 2007 to
of the U.S. Constitution, say questions remain about “He’s been elected and enormously valuable to purchase land for a luxury
which bars federal officials possible conflicts of inter- we agreed not to do for- companies, especially in resort complete with an
from accepting anything est, noting that foreigners eign deals.” countries with a growing airstrip and golf course, ac-
of value from foreign gov- could still seek to influence Richard Painter, the chief number of middle class cording to Mexican media
ernments unless approved Trump by helping his exist- White House ethics lawyer consumers who recognize reports. q