The Artful Jurist

Rapper Jay-Z and a business partner are taking Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz to court over an apparent trademark infringement claim.  Mr. Jay-Z says Mr. Ortiz is wrongfully trying to capitalize on the name of a chain of nightclubs opened by the hip hop artist.

The Jay-Z clubs are called 40/40, and he has opened them in New York, Atlantic City, and Las Vegas.  He and his partner have also licensed the name in Japan and Macau.

Mr. Ortiz and his sister have opened an unaffiliated club sporting the same name in Santo Domino in the Dominican Republic.  That has sparked the litigation, which claims the ballplayer is unfairly trading on the rapper’s name, and it seeks more than $5 million in damages.