Report: Jay-Z and NBA being sued over Brooklyn Nets' trademark
Before the New Jersey Nets moved to Brooklyn, the name Brooklyn Nets had already been trademarked.
At least, that's the story of Dr. Francois de Cassagnol, a local entrepreneur who is suing rapper Jay Z, developer Bruce Ratner and the NBA over unfair circumventing of United States patent laws.
From a RadarOnline report:
The Plaintiff, Dr. Francois de Cassagnol, filed a pro se complaint with the Eastern District of the State of New York on December 9, 2013, asking for a juried trial over the matter — and $600 million in damages, at least.
According to court documents obtained by Radar, de Cassagnol claims that the NBA, Jay Z, and developer Bruce Ratner ”fraudulently conspired” to use “loopholes” in the U.S. Patent Office so that they could use a term he says he registered more than ten years ago.
Indeed, documents submitted as evidence show that de Cassagnol filed applications in 2012 for “The Brooklyn Nets Entertainment Logo,” which was first used in the State of Louisiana back in 2003.
$600 million is an awful lot of cheddar. Jay Z raps a big financial game, but nobody has those kind of stacks at the ready for a sizable settlement.
A previous appeal, however, found in favor of the NBA because de Cassagnol's described uses were insignificant to overrule the NBA's use of the name.