MJ sues Jewel and Dominick's for trademark infringement

December 21, 2009 7:52 PM

Chicago Tribune

The next time local grocers Jewel and Dominick's want to salute an accomplishment by Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan, they might want to just send him a card instead.

Jordan, who led the Bulls to six championships and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last September, filed lawsuits Monday against both grocery store chains for two separate ads celebrating the living legend that Jordan considers an infringement on his trademark and business interests.
The full-page ads ran in a special commemorative issue of Sports Illustrated magazine dedicated to Jordan and his career.

Both suits, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claim the ads, each congratulating Jordan on his long list of achievements, were actually clever and unauthorized ways of linking the former league-leading scorer to their stores.

In the Dominick's ad, for example, the top half of the ad congratulates Jordan and features his trademark number, 23, while the bottom features a coupon on a Rancher's Reserve steak, a trademark of Dominick's parent company, Safeway.

LINK TO LAWSUIT AND AD

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-jordan-jewel-link,0,6122533.htmlpage

Jordan was never contacted about the ad and would never be associated with the Dominick's steaks, as it would conflict with steakhouses and a direct-mail steak business Jordan has lent his name to, the suit states.

In the Jewel ad, a pair of Jordan's Air Jordan basketball shoes with number 23 on the tongues sit below a message of support that ends with Jewel's "just around the corner" slogan.

Officials at both Jewel and Dominick's couldn't be reached for comment. Jordan's longtime attorney, Fred Sperling, declined to comment.

The suits seek unspecified damages, attorney fees and to bar either store from using Jordan's name in future ads.

-- William Lee