Jay-Z Suing Redsox Player David Ortiz in Federal Court

An article on Sohh.com discusses the lawsuit involving Jay-Z and David Ortiz of the Boston Redsox. This is probably one of the most interesting cases for any fan of the entertainment industry, it includes top huge stars and a massive problem. Ortiz is being sued for trademark infringement due to opening a club called Forty Forty in the Dominican Republic. Additionally, he has used images of Jay-Z on the club website in order to give off the impression that the Rap superstar is involved with the website. The main problem comes from the fact that Jay-Z and Juan Perez own several 40/40 clubs in the United States. Locations including Las Vegas and New York City have become some of the most popular clubs around. It is the success that Ortiz has attempted to capitalize on when promoting his club. While attaching a very similar name in addition to the use of images of Jay-Z may seem like a dead giveaway, Ortiz claims that he is doing no such thing. He has stated that the name of his club comes from his performance on the baseball field when achieving 40 home runs and stolen bases. This case is now in federal court, both sides have attempted to reach a compromise.

However, Jay-Z is seeking more than one million dollars in damages resulting from the infringement. Ortiz has so far been unwilling to pay such a large sum. While Ortiz has offered to change the name of his club, the initial promotion of this establishment has taken advantage of the success that Jay-Z has built through years of hard work. Courts have always been willing to award a significant amount of damages in cases such as these. There is a significant amount of value gained when attaching such a popular celebrity as Jay-Z, this is something that Ortiz knew when attempting to attract attention for his club. As such, he should be willing to pay for any benefit that he has received in taking this approach. Nothing in life is free, this is what Ortiz will find out when the judge comes to a decision in this case. It is very likely that Jay-Z will get the million dollars he has asked for in this case. If you are a fan of Jay-Z, you can look out for his upcoming album titled Watch The Throne, this album will also feature Kanye West.