Slogans Using America Name

America.

Who owns the copyright to a country’s name? I’ve always assumed that it was governments, because they fund entities such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CBC, Canadian Rail, Air Canada, British Broadcasting Corporation BBC, that sort of thing.

Then we have Make America Great Again (MAGA), Donald Trump’s signature cry before and after the 2016 election that made him president.

We cannot assume that everybody knows that it’s just one man’s campaign strategy. It is not American as the U.S. dollar, U.S. Army, the White House, the Statue of Liberty etc.

America is supposedly a country of freedom, to do what you want, when you want, vote for whoever you want or storm Washington while Congress is trying to put the official stamp to Joe Biden’s win.

That freedom also allows people who run for office to have slogans. A country’s name in a slogan is misleading. It’s like false advertising. For  example, Trump cannot make America great again because it’s an entity beyond his control. No individual owns it because it is not tangible. It’s not a stone you can move from the garden to your kitchen.

Then there’s the matter of patriotism, which is synonymous with countries. Using a country’s name in a slogan is dangerous because followers will justify their action on patriotism. They are protecting America, in the case of Trump supporters.

Attorneys, advertisers, campaign managers and brand creators are in a better position to shed light on this, while answering the question: can individuals use a country’s name for personal gain, like Donald Trump with Make America Great Again?

In Germany, it was Heil Hitler! He didn’t use the country’s name.

By: Nonqaba waka Msimang.