Photo: WENN.com
Entrepeneur Francois de Cassagnol has filed a $600 million lawsuit against Jay Z over claims he trademarked the name 'Brooklyn Nets' long before the NBA team moved from New Jersey.
According to Radar online, de Cassagnol claims that the NBA, Jay-Z, and developer Bruce Ratner "fraudulently conspired" to use "loopholes" in the US Patent Office in order for them to use the name he says he registered ten years ago. It's unclear what de Cassagnol wanted to use the name for.
The team, who were called 'New Jersey Nets' before relocating to New York in 2012, is part owned by Jay-Z, who is also the team's ambassador.
Speaking of the name change, Nets' chief executive Brett Yormark said, "Brooklyn was easy, because we think Brooklyn is the brand. Brooklyn is iconic. It transcends the marketplace. In many respects, it's a global name and reference."
Francois de Cassagnol describes the team's use of the name as "flagrant & shocking theft" on his rather eccentric website, on which he also requests Pope Francis ask God to deliver "a strong massage to the Brooklyn Nets' Pirates in NYC." We think he means message.
