Trump in trademark war with California winery
A Republican producer based in Monterey is embroiled in a dispute with Trump-affiliated companies over the name of one of its wines as the US President moves to protect his ‘brand’.
Paul Johnson, the owner of Republican Red Winery in Monterey, California, already sells a number of wines named in honour of Donald Trump, including two Chardonnays called Drill Baby Drill and Drain the Swamp, as well as Epic Fury red, a nod to the President’s invasion of Iran.
However, despite being an avid supporter, Johnson is now embroiled in a trademark dispute with three Trump-affiliated companies over a limited-edition wine called 45-47 Republican Red Special Edition. According to The Daily Mail, DTTM Operations, Trump Wine Marks LLC, and CIC Operations have filed a petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel the trademark.
Why file a petition?
The firms’ lawyers want to protect the ’45-47′ branding — a reference to Trump serving as both the 45th and 47th president — which now appears on a range of official MAGA merchandise.
Citing “false suggestion of a connection”, “false endorsement”, and “likelihood of confusion” as reasons to block the trademark, Michael Santucci of 500Law, based in Fort Lauderdale, claims in the petition that the name of Johnson’s wine could suggest that the President has backed the product.
“Conflict through whining”
On the Republican Red Winery website the wine is described as “a powerful nod to resilience, legacy, and the bold return of a leader who never stopped fighting for America. Celebrating Donald J Trump as the 45th and 47th President, this wine honours a legacy shaped by courage and conviction.”
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Second-generation wine grower Johnson adds that “his commitment to quality and patriotism is evident in every bottle produced” and that be believes in “connection through wine, not conflict through whining”.
Furthermore, he maintains that “political discussions should be encouraged at the dinner table, not shunned. The elephant in the room should be embraced, not avoided.”
Online only
One such elephant is that according to Johnson, Republican Red is limited to being an exclusively online operator, not out of choice, but because retailers won’t take his wines.
Speaking to conservative radio show Newsmax the winery owner said: “The retail stores won’t carry us, they won’t allow us in there. That’s why we’re an online company only because the word ‘Republican’ is in our name and they’re afraid that the Libs here in California and across the country will come in and make a stink about it”.
Johnson is yet to comment on the trademark conflict.
Trump is no stranger to the world of drinks marketing. Last December, he reopened orders for his Trump Vodka, a US-made product relaunched to circumnavigate rising import tariffs. Originally released 14 years ago, marketed as “The Great American Spirit,” the vodka was discontinued in 2011 after declining sales and a legal fallout between Trump and former supplier Drinks Americas in which Trump ended up winning a judgement concerning US$4.8 million in unpaid royalties.
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