Melania Trump to Slovenians: Don’t use my likeness for profit
Melania Trump has hired a law firm in her native Slovenia to warn people against profiting off her name or likeness.
Entrepreneurs have raced to offer products associated with the future first lady since her husband Donald Trump became president-elect earlier this month, Politico reported Wednesday.
{mosads}Melania Trump’s main concern is with Sevnica, her hometown boasting a population of 4,900 people.
The town has erected a billboard with the former model’s likeness, and a cottage industry hawking Trump-themed products has sprung up.
Trump hired the local law firm Pirc Musar & partnerji to halt the use of her name and image without permission.
“This is indecent financial exploitation and infringement of personality rights,” Natasa Pirc Musar, the law firm’s director, told Politico.
Pirc Musar said her team has not filed any legal proceedings but is monitoring potential cases and relaying them back to Trump.
“First we wanted to warn the public and now we count on their prudence to stop the practice,” she said.
Sevnica businesses are selling goods tied to Trump ranging from honey to pastries.
Bruno Vidmar has begun offering a new desert at his restaurant called “Melanija” — a mascarpone and strawberry mousse.
Vidmar, owner of Pizzeria Rondo in Sevnica, said his business has gone up 20 percent since Election Day.
“As we were the first ones to come up with the idea, many journalists came to the restaurant after the announcement on Facebook and Twitter had gone viral,” he said, adding he is not worried about potential legal action from Trump. “As long as we don’t use her image, it’s OK.”
Trump was a rarity on the campaign trial for her husband before he won the presidency earlier this month. The future first lady has repeatedly said she is mainly concerned with Barron Trump, the couple’s 10-year-old son.
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