Michael Jordan suing two local grocery stores
Seeing as the man’s face is pretty much everywhere, maybe they thought he wouldn’t notice. They thought wrong.
Michael Jordan filed a pair of lawsuits this week against two Chicago-area grocery store chains, Dominick’s and Jewel, for advertisements MJ says infringe on his trademark and business interests. In dispute are some full-page ads that ran in Sports Illustrated‘s all-Jordan Hall of Fame tribute issue.
From the Chicago Tribune:
Both suits, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, claim the ads were clever and unauthorized ways of linking Jordan to the stores. In the Dominick’s ad, the top half congratulates Jordan and features his uniform number, 23, while the bottom has a coupon for a Rancher’s Reserve steak, a trademark of Dominick’s parent Safeway.
Jordan never was contacted about the ad, the suit states, and never would be associated with the Dominick’s steaks as it would conflict with steakhouses and a direct-mail steak business to which Jordan has lent his name.
In the Jewel ad, a pair of Air Jordan shoes with 23 on the tongues sits below a congratulatory message that ends with Jewel’s “just around the corner” slogan.
Two questions: (1) How much money could Jordan ask for while keeping a straight face? … (2) Direct-mail steak? … Anyway, I’d have to assume this gets settled quickly and doesn’t go anywhere near a trial. Who in their right mind would think they have a chance of winning with a jury in Illinois going against Mike?
-->
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:57 pm
NTstateOFmind says:
cant blame MJ, Dominicks and Jewel thought they could exploit the situation to their advantage …they should’ve known better being that their big-time grocers in Illinois
December 22nd, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Michorizo says:
So Mike has problems with his name being associated with meat and jewels ….
December 22nd, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Gunner J. Matthews says:
I could be wrong but I think “direct mail steak” is where people knock on doors and ask if you want steak and they’ll deliver it. Something like door to door magazine subscriptions. Its happened to me a few times. Nothing like free pub I guess
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Nautic says:
MJ’s direct steaks is an online retailer of steaks. Jordan comes up with the receipes along with chefs. They get the meat, spice it, then get it delivered to you via UPS
http://www.michaeljordansteaks.com/
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Nautic says:
BTW the steaks are frozen by flash-freezing. Which means they use liquid nitrogen, or dry ice and ethanol to freeze it. Eitherway, it meanst the steak’s temperature is around is between -273 and -100 degrees C and don’t have ice crystals. MJ went all out on the steaks lol.
December 22nd, 2009 at 9:52 pm
Pet Society Help says:
Boredom, can’t do it on the floor so try and find a fight anywhere else, even in the courtroom. Jordan should contact me for my ideas on social networking websites if he’s that bored. Gimme a million I’ll make him 300 million.
December 22nd, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Pakman says:
If I were Jordan I wouldn’t want to be advertised at any of these store
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:21 am
Colton says:
i just got jordan bedazzled down my shaft with 2 and 3 respectively on each testicle.
looks like a meat and jewels lawsuit comin my way.
*shucks*
January 5th, 2010 at 12:23 pm
Logues says:
how come you guys didnt do a hall of fame issue like every other basketball mag?