Sarah Palin Inc. Can she trademark her name?

The former Alaska governor and 2008 GOP nominee for vice-president keeps being mentioned as a possible 2012 presidential candidate, even though her “unfavorable” ratings remain high and a large majority of Americans don’t think she’s qualified to run the country.

But her every word and act remain politically mesmerizing. Did those cross-hairs over elected officials targeted for defeat have anything to do with violent public discourse? Are her comments on the ground-shaking revolution in Egypt worth noting?

“Her staying power is that she has risen above the stature of mere conservative politician, subject to the rules of the game,” Monitor columnist Walter Rodgers observed recently. “Rather she’s become a true entertainer who happens to be wildly popular among some conservative voters.”

Meanwhile, the trademarking process for the Palins continues. Once completed, they will join other celebrities in protecting their name with that little ®.

'Everybody's name is their brand'

"Everybody's name is sort of their brand, and once it gets associated with goods or services, then it functions as a trademark," Marshall Nelson, a Seattle attorney specializing in copyright, trademark and other intellectual property issues, told the Associated Press. Once a name is trademarked, he said, it gives the holder additional remedies to recover profits and damages if someone uses the name inappropriately.

For the record, here’s what Palin told the Christian Broadcasting Network over the weekend regarding how the Obama administration has handled Egypt’s political upheaval:

“Nobody yet has explained to the American public what they know, and surely they know more than the rest of us know who it is who will be taking the place of Mubarak and I'm not real enthused about what it is that that’s being done on a national level and from DC in regards to understanding all the situation there in Egypt.”

Explaining further, she said: “And in these areas that are so volatile right now because obviously it’s not just Egypt but the other countries too where we are seeing uprisings, we know that now more than ever, we need strength and sound mind there in the White House.”

Surely that’s a depth of analysis worth trademarking.

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