Music Mogul Jay-Z Protects His Celebrity Brand
Rap star and music mogul Jay-Z (real name: Shawn Carter) is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in the United States. He is the president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings and co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and the Rocawear clothing brand. He also co-owns The 40/40 Club and the New Jersey Nets NBA team.
With all of his financial success, it is no wonder that Jay-Z owns trademark registrations to protect his JAY-Z brand. A search of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Website Database yields four “live” hits for JAY-Z including:
- JAY-Z (Registration No. 2485110) for use with “entertainment services in the nature of live musical performances by a performer or group” in Class 41.
- JAY-Z (Registration No. 2485107) for use on “clothing for men, women and children, namely, shirts, T-shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, jerseys, hats, caps, scarves and bandanas” in Class 25.
- JAY-Z (Registration No. 2485105) for use on a “series of musical sound recordings and prerecorded videotapes and videodiscs featuring music” in Class 9.
- JAY-Z (Registration No. 2485104) for use on “printed matter, paper and stationery products, namely, posters, stickers, bumper stickers, postcards, decals and concert souvenir programs” in Class 16.
All of these marks are registered to Shawn Carter individually.
The marks were registered in 2001. In 2007 Jay-Z filed Section 8 & 15 Affidavits of Continued Use and Incontestability for each registration. While Jay-Z may keep his fans guessing with his retirement in 2003 and his return in 2006 with album “Kingdom Come,” the filing of maintenance documents for his trademark registrations indicates that Jay-Z plans to keep his celebrity name for use on the above-listed goods and services for the next few years, at least.
Aimee Kaplan, the trademark attorney dedicated to hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs protecting their celebrity brands
Copyright 2007 Aimee Kaplan
Aimee Kaplan, the trademark attorney dedicated to hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs protecting their celebrity brands
Copyright 2007 Aimee Kaplan
Posted by Aimee Kaplan at 11/13/2007 12:00 AM 
Categories: Music, J (Name), Media/Entertainment, Entrepreneur, Clothing
Categories: Music, J (Name), Media/Entertainment, Entrepreneur, Clothing
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