In 1991, when crime was high in New York City and public opinion of Central Park was much lower than today, Donald Trump applied for a trademark on the name "Central Park" and got it. He has held on to, and profited from, a widening variety of trademarks ever since, slapping the name Central Park first on parking garages, then onto furniture, pillows, pencil boxes, "non-electric coffee percolators," chandeliers, keychain, and other items. And Trump paid no more than the filing fee to become the single largest private for-profit trademark holder of Central Park trademarks for specific goods.
Alan Garten, general counsel for The Trump Organization, declined to tell The Associated Press how much money Trump has earned from his Central Park trademarks, only saying that "Mr. Trump, over the course of his career, has owned and developed some of the most iconic buildings in the city, many of which... sit only footsteps away from Central Park." The park is operated by both New York City and the private Central Park Conservancy, which can sell items like umbrellas with the official Central Park logo. Neither the city nor the Conservancy can revoke Trump's trademarks, though the city has tried and failed to derail several trademark applications but found no way to, NY1 reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What does 'conquering' Gaza mean to Israel?Today's Big Question Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has approved a plan to displace much of the Palestinian population while seizing and occupying the territory on a long-term basis.
-
Casey Means: the controversial 'wellness influencer' nominated for surgeon generalIn the Spotlight Means has drawn controversy for her closeness to RFK Jr.
-
Trump taps Fox News' Pirro for DC attorney postspeed read The president has named Fox News host Jeanine Pirro to be the top federal prosecutor for Washington, replacing acting US Attorney Ed Martin
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirementspeed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff displaySpeed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loomSpeed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
