Barack and Michelle Obama are in a trademark dispute regarding their company name, Higher Ground Productions. It seems the US Patent and Trademark Office won’t let them have that name. So what do the Obamas do in response? Go low, very low.

In April the office rejected the Obama’s trademark application once again because their company name, Higher Ground Productions, was too similar to Higher Ground Enterprises. I say once again, because the office had already rejected the application last September.

This August, the Obamas and their attorney filed again with the US Patent and Trademark office. This time they are DEMANDING that the trademark for Higher Ground Enterprises be cancelled. Yes, you read that correctly.

Higher Ground Enterprises is owned and operated by Haniysa Massey, and the company assists authors in publishing e-books.

This was the original trademark application from the Obamas for Higher Ground Productions.

“”[T]he consumers of ‘media production services’ covered by the Application are likely to be highly sophisticated,” stated a letter on behalf of the Obamas’ production company to the Trademark Office. “Media production services are generally offered not to individual consumers but to commercial entities and professionals in their field. Indeed, Applicant has entered a deal with Netflix in connection with its media production services. Such customers, whether multi-billion-dollar media companies or smaller commercial entities in need of media production services, will exercise the height of care in selecting a media production company and are highly unlikely to be confused by a photographer or e-book publisher — particularly when the other party uses a distinguishable mark.””

I read that, and then read it again. The sheer unmitigated arrogance of that entire paragraph is something to behold! The Obamas are telling us that those who will view the Obama Netflix channel are highly sophisticated elites, while mere photographers or a small business e-book publisher will only get traffic from those unsophisticated rubes from the flyover states.

Keeping the little guy …little is their version of going high.

Understandably, Massey and her attorney are pissed off and fighting back.

“”The Obamas have known for almost a year that their Higher Ground trademark application was rejected by the USPTO because it infringed my client’s rights,” says Zerner. “Instead, of simply picking another name, the Obamas’ lawyers have now filed a meritless petition to cancel my client’s trademark so they can take it for themselves. This is really deplorable behavior. I hope that the Obamas realize that these actions are not consistent with the values they preach and that they instruct their attorneys to immediately dismiss the petition.””

I really got a kick out of Zerner’s deplorable comment. And, he’s not wrong either. The Obamas have known since last September that their trademark application was denied.

My client has been using the name Higher Ground Enterprises for her business for over 10 years and obtained a federal trademark in 2017. In May 2018, Obama filed a trademark application for "Higher Ground Productions." 2/

— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) September 3, 2019

The attorneys asked Massey in July if they could just go ahead and use the similar names. She refused.

Nothing political in her decision, it just wasn't in her best interests to do so. There are plenty of other names that the Obamas could choose. Instead of moving on, the Obamas' lawyers filed a petition to cancel my client's trademark based on absolutely no facts. 6/

— Larry Zerner (@Zernerlaw) September 3, 2019

Again, Massey’s company, Higher Ground Enterprises has been in business since 2008. The Obamas were essentially asking her to step aside and let her business suffer. She wasn’t willing to do so. Thus, instead of rebooting the name into something else, the Obamas kept going and have even debuted an anti-Trump documentary on their channel under the contested moniker!

Tell me something. Exactly who is going low here? It sure isn’t Massey.

The Obamas have chosen and therefore that unsophisticated rube of a little guy must be made to step aside.

The Obamas. Such class acts they are. Bless their hearts.

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Feature Photo Credit: Michelle and Barack Obama courtesy Barack Obama Presidential Library, cropped and modified