Trump runs intro trouble with his ‘Truth’ logo resembling a British company’s

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Donald Trump’s Truth Social network has already been plagued with apparent technical glitches and now it could be facing a legal battle over its logo design — all before it even officially launches. 

The app, which appeared in the Apple App Store Feb. 21, 2022, sports a blue boxed logo with a sort of upside down “L” on the right side with a square-ish box on the other to form the suggestion of a “T.”

However, it turns out the design is very close to the logo of a British trucking company called Trailer that it’s used since at least 2019.

That logo is in a slightly more violet shade and has subtle differences in the shape of the strokes and also has an added box in the lower right in a teal shade.

Presumably the “T” is meant to stand for both “Trump” and “Truth” — and there’s probably only so much that could done to create a stylized “T” design.

It’s also not identical, with the U.K. logo having, most notably, that added box.

The choice of blue for Truth Social is a bit interesting, given that color is traditionally associated with the Democratic party on election maps.

Red is typically assigned to the GOP and is also a favorite color of Trump’s campaign, having notably been used for his “Make America Great Again” caps, though his campaign signage and logo use blue as a dominant color.

The shade of blue selected is a few shades more subdued than the ones used by Facebook and Twitter, but the connection between the color choice is interesting.

The design is also decidedly different from much of Trump’s other branding. His campaign doesn’t have overly sophisticated design while his personal brands, such as hotels and the now defunct Trump University often used strong serifs such as Trajan Pro.

In many respects, the boxy, sans serif “letter” is more in line with design trends used on social media and digital platforms.

Legally, there may be some leeway given that the logos are slightly different and also don’t operate in the same industry, but U.K. law is similar to the U.S. in that it typically considers the likelihood of confusion among consumers as at least one factor in deciding potential infringement.

Also like the U.S., Great Britain doesn’t require a company to formerly register a design as a trademark, though a registration does typically offer advantages to defending rights to the mark in court in both countries.

Trailer’s marketing head says it is consulting with attorneys to explore its options.

Back in October 2021, Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind the app and social network, filed for trademark protection of various names, including “TruthSocial” as well as the tagline “Follow the truth” and an accompanying typographic lockup.

It is also seeking protection for the terms “Truthing,” “Retruth” and “Post a Truth.” On Truth’s social media platform, posts are slated to be called “Truths” much like content on Twitter are called “tweets.”