Demand to use 'Ivanka' for business rises in China

Several Chinese firms sent at least 65 applications to utilise “Ivanka” as their trademark. Businesses and individuals from China that have expressed interest to use Ivanka Trump’s name for their products range from wallpaper to alcohol according to the national trademark office.

One of them is a Beijing-based company that provides weight loss services, which submitted 10 applications to utilise the name of US President Donald Trump’s eldest daughter on its products. Data from the Trademark Office of the State Administration for Industry & Commerce shows that the company intends to use Ivanka on various products such as cosmetics and nutritional supplements.

Fujian Yingjie Commodity Company, which sells sanitary napkins, has also submitted an application to utilise Ivanka for its brand. It was among the first companies to send an application, a week before Trump has won the US presidency.

Most businesses are still waiting for a decision about whether or not the trademark authority will give them the green light. The majority of applications are still being processed according to South China Morning Post.

In 2010, New York-based Ivanka Trump Marks LCC submitted applications to use Ivanka’s name for shoes and clothing in China. The application was approved two years after. The company has filed another seven applications for jewellery, bags and other products last year.

China’s laws and regulations allow businesses to make use of foreign names or the Chinese translations of such names as trademark. For instance, a Chinese shoemaker used US basketball star Michael Jordan’s image and Chinese name as a trademark.

The demand to trademark the first daughter’s name is associated to her rising popularity in the aforementioned country. Ivanka visited the Chinese embassy in Washington during the Lunar New Year period.

The demand for Ivanka’s trademark rises in China amid US retailers’ decision to drop her accessory and clothing line. Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus dropped her merchandise from their stores and claimed that the decision was due to the poor sales of the brand. Even Shoes.com, a footwear website, stopped selling shoes from the Ivanka Trump Collection.

In an interview with “Good Morning America” last year, Ivanka addressed issues of how her father’s political career affected her business. "The beauty of America is people can do what they like, but I'd prefer to talk to the millions the tens of millions of American women who are inspired by the brand and the message that I've created," she said.