JAY-Z Cites Racial Discrimination in Trademark Infringement Case

JAY seeks to halt arbitration in lawsuit over Roc Nation logo, due to lack of black arbitrators

JAY-Z and Roc Nation are currently embroiled in a trademark case with the brand management company Iconix Brand Group. Iconix, which bought JAY-Z’s Rocawear in 2007, claimed in the 2017 lawsuit that it owns the Roc Nation logo and that JAY-Z is infringing on its trademark by using the logo on Major League Baseball apparel. Earlier this year, according to Page Six, Iconix filed for an arbitration proceeding against JAY-Z’s team, asking them to reveal financial information about their companies.

In a new development in the case, JAY-Z’s team has asked the court to halt arbitration because of an alleged lack of diversity in the American Arbitration Association (AAA), according to The Hollywood Reporter. In the memorandum, filed today (November 28), JAY-Z’s lawyers write, “The AAA’s arbitration procedures, and specifically its roster of neutrals for large and complex cases in New York, deprive black litigants like Mr. Carter and his companies of the equal protection of the laws, equal access to public accommodations, and mislead consumers into believing that they will receive a fair and impartial adjudication.”

According to the filing, “The AAA was able to provide only three neutrals [on its ‘Large and Complex Cases’ roster] it identified as African-American: two men—one of whom was a partner at the law firm representing Iconix in this arbitration and thus had a glaringly obvious conflict of interest—and one woman.”

As a result, JAY-Z and his team claim, “The AAA’s procedures… are contrary to New York public policy and violate the Equal Protection Clause of the New York State Constitution, various state civil rights laws, and the New York Deceptive Practices Act.”

Pitchfork has contacted JAY-Z’s representatives.

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