Jay-Z, music and business mogul, is being sued by Volcom for trademark infringement over the diamond logo he uses for his music company, Roc Nation.

Volcom, a California-based clothing company, claims that the rapper’s logo is too similar to the logo they have been using for the past 20 years. Volcom has spent over $100,000,000 marketing the brand globally. 

Volcom’s reasoning behind the lawsuit is that they claim the logos could cause confusion between consumers in the marketplace. Originally, Roc Nation used their logo only in conjunction with their company name. More recently, however, the company has begun to use the logo by itself, which Volcom believes undercuts the investment they have made in marketing their own products.

According to Volcom (via All Hip Hop), “Roc Nation was previously notified that its use of the inverted diamond logo infringed Volcom’s stone mark. However, Roc Nation refused to case its infringing use of the inverted diamond. Its infringement of Volcom’s stone mark is thus willful.” Roc Nation has been using their diamond logo on a variety of consumer products like earphones and discs.

Furthermore, Volcom is complaining that both of their products are being sold from comparable stores, adding to the unwanted crossover between the two brands.

The real question is whether or not the two brands are similar enough to warrant an extensive trial, though that still remains to be seen.

There is no mention of what kind of financial damages Volcom is asking for, though considering Roc Nation manages pop superstar, Rihanna, and was founded by Jay-Z (who is now married to R&B superstar Beyoncé), there is no doubt that the company is worth a lot of money.

In 2008, Live Nation (one of the biggest concert producers in the world) joined forces with Jay-Z and created Roc Nation, an entertainment company. They include artists, songwriters, disc jockeys, producers, music management, music publishing, touring, merchandising, film and television.

Volcom was founded in 1991 by Richard Woolcott and Tucker Hall. The company produces clothing and gear related to the snowboarding, skating and surfing markets. They have retail locations all over the world, including London, England, Santiago Chie, Bangkok, Thailand and Lisboa, Portugal.  Volcom’s company revenue is over US$180 million.

It is unknown if and when the diamond logo infringement trial will take place.

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