Jay-Z Sues Red Sox Slugger David Ortiz Over 40/40 Club Name

It turns out that hip-hop icon Jay-Z has filed a lawsuit against Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (pictured below) over the use of Jay-Z's brand. Jay-Z alleges that Ortiz has created a club called Forty-Forty in the Dominican Republic, which is strikingly similar to the 40/40 clubs that Jay-Z and his partner, Juan Perez own in the United States.

"[Jay-Z and Juan Perez] have accused Ortiz of trading on the fame, value and goodwill of their name through his club Forty/Forty and its website, www.fortyforty.net, which they say has caused their business 'marketplace confusion and damage,'" reads the lawsuit. The suit also alleges that Ortiz "has been a patron [at the 40/40 Club] on several occasions long before he opened his infringing Forty/Forty Club." Jay-Z Sues David Ortiz

The suit is seeking $5 million in damages and for Ortiz to stop using the Forty-Forty club name. What is most interesting is that the name 40/40 comes from baseball. A player is in the 40/40 club if he hits 40 home runs and has 40 steals all in the same season.

I don't know much about the 40/40 club, other than the fact that I had a relative go to the club who was less than impressed. At the very least, Jay-Z does own the brand for the club, which makes it quite peculiar that Ortiz has chosen the same name. On the face of it all, it seems difficult to argue that Jigga doesn't deserve damages for the perceived breach of contract. At the same time, the laws in the Dominican Republic may be different from those in the United States. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.

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