President Donald Trump’s company is reportedly suing online merchants it accuses of selling unofficial, “inferior imitations” of Trump-branded goods on marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart and eBay.
“By selling counterfeit products that purport to be genuine and authorized products using the TRUMP trademarks, defendants cause confusion and deception in the marketplace,” reads a complaint filed by the Trump Organization in Florida federal court on Friday.
The company hopes to stop the sellers from using the Trump brand’s trademarks, compel the marketplaces to destroy the alleged fake Trump merch and close counterfeit sellers’ accounts.
The Trump Organization plans to reveal the specific merchant identities in a sealed filing, according to CNBC, which first reported on the lawsuit.
The Independent has contacted Amazon, Walmart and eBay for comment.
Trump in recent years has attached his brand to official offerings ranging from standard political fare such as hats and mugs to pickleball rackets, cryptocurrency, and even a Trump-branded cellphone.
Beyond just selling merch, Trump and his family businesses have taken in hundreds of millions of dollars since the election on business ventures including real estate, prompting conflict of interest criticisms.
“He is president and is supposed to be working in the public’s interest,” James Thurber, an emeritus professor at American University, told The Associated Press this month. “Instead, he is helping his own personal interest to grow his wealth. It’s totally not normal.”
The president’s political activities have often blended with his commercial interests such as during his ongoing Scotland trip.
Trump has met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his Turnberry golf course to announce an EU trade deal and the president plans to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday for a new Trump golf course in Aberdeenshire.
The White House described the Scotland tour as a “working trip” while touting that Trump “has built the best and most beautiful world-class golf courses anywhere in the world, which is why they continue to be used for prestigious tournaments and by the most elite players in the sport.”
