PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — For the first time, we’re learning some of the details behind a plan to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.
A licensing agreement, which Palm Beach County commissioners approved in a 4-3 vote on Tuesday, reveals a series of different logos for the new airport as well as establishes ground rules for the county’s use of the name.
As WPTV previously reported in February, a licensing agreement was required for the county to rename the airport, after companies connected to the Trump Organization filed trademark applications for airport names, as Republican state lawmakers passed a bill requiring the county to rename the airport after the president.
Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney at Gerbin IP, said the agreement between the county and DTTM Operations is unusual because private companies don’t own trademarks for airport names like John F. Kennedy International Airport.
He said those trademark filings create suspicion Trump or his family could benefit from a taxpayer expense of renaming an airport.
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Trump company files trademarks for airport name change
“I think if there was no trademarks filed, there'd be a lot less concern that maybe there was a way that Trumpworld was going to end up profiting from this arrangement,” Gerben said. “The fact that there was trademarks filed, the fact that there's this non-exclusive license is now in place, it raises a legitimate question that should be asked, which is that is this a way that Trump org is going to see some sort of financial benefit? And maybe the answer is no, but if you do look at the circumstantial evidence here, I think it's worth taking a close look at.”
He also said he believes the current licensing agreement gives the Trump organization multiple ways to benefit from the contract, like selling airport-branded items off site, and the opportunity to steer business to certain companies by requiring airport stores buy branded gear from an approved list of manufacturers.
“I think what makes it unusual here is that again, we have an honorary naming and this looks much more like a business transaction than it… is just an honor we're bestowing upon you,” Gerber said.
WPTV did reach out to the Trump Organization and county administration about the deal. We are still working to get an answer.
