Hip-Hop mogul Jay-Z is taking Boston Red Sox player David Ortiz to court over his use of the 40/40 name for a club in the Dominican Republic.In the lawsuit, which was filed in Manhattan federal court yesterday (April 15), Jay-Z claimed that Ortiz opened a venue on the island and named it the Forty-Forty club, and then registered a website under the domain, www.fortyforty.net.
The New York rapper and his business partner Juan Perez are arguing that Ortiz is trading on the fame, value, and goodwill of their name through his club and its website, and that the mix-up has led to "marketplace confusion and damage." The two own 40/40 clubs in New York City, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas and reportedly have plans to open venues in Tokyo and Macau. Ortiz opened his club in October of last year.
The suit also points out how Ortiz was familiar with the club that Jay-Z and Perez opened in New York City as he had visited the place numerous times.
"David Ortiz is fully aware of plaintiff's Manhattan 40/40 club, since he had been a patron there on several occasions long before he opened his infringing Forty/Forty Club," read the legal document.
So far Ortiz has not commented on the lawsuit.
COURTESY OF YORAPS.COM
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