#Trademarks Once again it seems I need to educate people on trademarks since I'm seeing conspiracy misinformation circulating about Ivanka with respect to Chinese trademarks allegedly for coffins and voting machines. /1

First, my background. My father was a patent & trademark attorney. I worked in his law office. I am extremely knowledgeable when it comes to intellectual property law (patents, copyrights, trademarks). So I can tell you that people aren't understanding how it works. /2

In Ivanka's case, the controversy relates to the trademarks she was granted in China. First, let me give you a shorthand of the three main categories:

a. Copyrights
b. Patents
c. Trademarks

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Copyrights = creative works in a fixed form, including (but not limited to) books, films, songs, paintings, etc.

Patents = inventions

These are either

-Design patents = a new "thing" or version of some thing
-Utility patents = a new method of doing something

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Trademark = brand names and slogans

For example:

Coca-Cola's name in that particular font is a design trademark

"It's the real thing" is a brand (slogan) trademark

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We're going to stick to trademarks for the purpose of this thread.

When filing a trademark in the US, you have to declare whether it's already in use in commerce or whether you intend to use it in commerce. That's either a 1A or 1B declaration.

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With trademark applications, you also declare in which G&S (goods and services) category you intend to use it.

EX: You want to trademark "Great Stuff" and put it on tshirts. So you might pick the goods category for apparel.

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Or you want to start a restaurant called "Great Stuff." So you pick the relevant services category.

With each category you pay a separate fee.

As you can see, the IC (international code) for each class is a broad heading.

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Now, for example, if we were to drill down into IC 020 (furniture and articles not otherwise), we'd find MANY possible items under that general, extremely broad heading, all designated as IC 020. In fact there are 1465 of them. And yes, coffins are one of MANY possible items.

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Now let's look at Ivanka's China trademark filings, bearing in mind that she's forced to choose the G&S IC for each filing that includes the item on which she wants to put her trademark.

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Ivanka has 71 trademark filings, the newest being 2017, long before #COVID. So let's please dispense with the conspiracy that she's trying to cash in on the pandemic. With all the things to be outraged over, let's not push bullshit.

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Out of Ivanka's 71 trademark filings, only one is under IC 020. The application was filed in 2017.

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Now look at some of the possible goods under IC 020, which are more likely items Ivanka would brand.

Futons, portable stadium seats, pet cushions, picture frames, throw pillows, bird houses, ottomans, windows blinds & shades, statutes, mirrors ....

You get the idea.

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Caskets (coffins) are a very specific G&S category within IC 020... just like the other 1464 possibilities.

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Ivanka's filing under IC 020 does not suggest caskets. She's forced to choose IC 020 because the particular items on which she wants to put her name just happen to fall under the same G&S as caskets. It means nothing.

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In the past (before I scrubbed my Twitter), I had tweeted a whole step-by-step thread debunking the Ivanka voting machine conspiracy, but people would rather push propaganda. Now because of #COVID, idiots on the left are pushing this coffin thing.

Stop. Just fucking stop.

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Listen, I despise Trump, Satan Barbie, Stepford Pinocchio, Tweedledumb, and Tweedledumber as much as the rest of you. I know they're liars, con artists, and grifters, but they commit enough provable crimes that we don't need to look for it where it doesn't exist.

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If you don't understand how intellectual property law works, ask me. Or ask an IP attorney. Or go to http://USPTO.gov  and educate yourself. Hell, you've got the time. There's no excuse to be ignorant when you're home 24/7 with Internet. It's like free school.

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