The last we heard from Jay-Z’s pending legal battle with Iconix Brand Group over his Roc Nation trademark, Iconix was suing Jay and Roc Nation for $204 million over Roc Nation’s recent line of branded MLB hats, with Roc Nation countersuing for breach of implied license. Now, according to TMZ, Jay-Z’s lawyers have requested an order to stop the impending case after being given a list of potential arbitrators and a deadline of November 30 to choose one.
The reason that Jay and his team have declined to choose from the previously given list is out of 200 potential arbitrators, none are African-American. In documents obtained by TMZ, Jay-Z’s attorney, Alex Spiro of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, says that after noting the original list’s lack of diversity, they were given an additional list of six new arbitrators “of color,” but one was a partner at a firm that represents Iconix. According to Spiro, that’s a conflict of interest that could give Iconix the upper hand in any negotiations.
The order filed by Jay-Z’s lawyers aims to give them more time to review the candidates to determine if there are any other conflicts, as they believe the lack of diversity on tap creates too much potential for bias against Jay and his company.
