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Obama Club Shanghai -- Does POTUS Have a Remedy?

By Eric Lipman

Though his approval ratings might no longer be all that and a bag of chips, there's no denying that President Barack Obama's name still carries with it a certain cachet. As such, attempts to cash in on it should come as no surprise. The phenomenon is now going global, with the "Obama Entertainment Club" set to open next week in Shanghai. The club's "marketing lady" didn't seem to have a whole lot to offer in the way of details, but Vanity Fair notes that the U.S. Consulate was pretty sure the Prez isn't going to be there to cut the ribbon. I wouldn't imagine Obama had the foresight to trademark his name in China, though it sounds like the system there is just confusing enough when it comes to English language trademarks that, if he had, this Swedish band might have trouble staging a performance. I couldn't find a whole lot about Chinese law on publicity rights. China law experts: Is there anything the President could do if he decided he didn't quite care for this use of his good name?

Full post as published by Legal Blog Watch on April 20, 2010 (boomark / email).