Jay Z (Legal name Shawn Carter) is an American Rapper, Artist, and businessman. He has been named one of the most influential hip-hop artists of all time. He is also known for being married to Beyonce Knowles.
Jay Z was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised by a single mother. Jay-Z’s father, Adnis Reeve, walked out on the family when he was young, though they briefly reconciled in the early 2000s shortly before Reeves died of complications related to excess drinking.
Jay Z first began appearing in cameos and recordings from the late 80s/early 90s before making any of his music. Jay Z subsequently spent his early life freestyling and making music inspired by other famous rappers of his generation.
In 1995 Jay Z founded his record label, Roc-A-Fella records. Under his label, Jay Z debuted in the following year with Reasonable doubt. His record was a success, and today, he’s one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
Jay Z is also a philanthropist, having launched the Shawn Carter Foundation alongside his mother in 2003. He has dedicated time and money to water shortages, students in poverty, and the Katrina disaster. In addition to this, he’s been an outspoken supporter of ethnic minorities and has supported the Black Lives Matter movement.
In 2019, Jay Z became the first hip-hop billionaire. He owns several successful ventures, such as Roc Nation and Tidal. In addition to these ventures, he was also the part-owner of an NBA team and was CEO of Def Jam records. In November 2020, it was announced that Jay-Z would be joining TPCO Holding Corp as a ”Chief Visionary Officer”.
Famous Jay Z Trademarks
With many ventures under his name, it’s no surprise that Jay Z owns more than a few trademarks. Jay Z and Beyonce have also made headlines for trying to trademark Blue Ivy’s name; while they’ve come up against some roadblocks, Jay Z and Beyonce both own an array of successfully registered trademarks. Let’s take a look at some of Jay-Z’s most well-known trademarks.
Rock The Mic
Rock the Mic was a summer tour undertaken by Jay Z alongside 50 Cent. Other acts included Busta Rhymes and Sean Paul. The event was the biggest of its kind in the Houston Area. There was speculation that more events of its kind would take place.
The filing for ‘Rock The Mic’ took place in 2003 and covers the following categories:
- Organizing and conducting music festivals, concerts, and music tours; and providing a Web site on a global computer network featuring information on music and entertainment.
- Recording studio services; organizing and conducting music festivals, concerts, and music tours; and providing a website on a global computer network featuring information on music and entertainment services.
Jay Z also registered a similar trademark covering the same categories for the alternate spelling, Roc the Mic.
Gold Jay Z
”Gold Jay Z” is Jay-Z’s first venture into cologne and fragrance products. It was released in 2013 and proved to be quite popular. The trademark registration also took place in 2013.
The trademark applies to the following category:
- Fragrances such as cologne and aftershave.
- Body scrubs and face creams. Shower gel, bath, and shower products.
Jay Z Blue
Jay Z is one of the first celebrities to have his color designed, named, and trademarked. Jay Z blue is a pearlescent blue mixed with platinum dust. The hip-hop mogul’s motorcycle was used as inspiration for the color that Pantone designed specifically for Jay Z. Jay Z blue is trademarked in the following categories:
- Automobiles, windshield visors, wheel rims for automobiles, car bumpers, and car sun shields.
- House and automobile paint and glazes.
- Fragrances, perfume, Eau de parfum, cologne, eau de cologne, Eau de toilet, aftershave, shaving balm, body lotion, and non-medicated soap.
As of 2020, the trademark application is pending.
Shawn Carter
Jay Z has made headlines for his attempts to trademark his daughter’s name, Blue Ivy Carter. But It’s less commonly known that he’s submitted trademark applications for his name, too. The trademark for Shawn Carter was submitted in 2019 and covered the following categories:
- Bags include travel bags, wallets, and suitcases.
- Clothing that includes shirts, pants, jackets, suits, t-shirts, jeans, sweaters, bathing suits, and underwear.
- Fragrances, namely, perfume, cologne, eau de cologne, and eau de toilette; Shaving gel; After-shave; Skin soap, namely, body and facial soap; Body lotion; Bath gel; Face creams; Cosmetics.
- Fungible and non-fungible token-based goods, namely, music, clothing, jewelry, eyewear, bags, toys, fragrances, sports equipment for use online and in online virtual worlds.
- Eyewear, namely, sunglasses and eyeglasses, and structural parts, therefore; Sunglass and eyeglass cases; Phone accessories, namely, cell phone covers; Tablet computer covers; Digital music downloadable from the Internet.
AKA Shawn Carter
The trademark filing for AKA Shawn Carter took place in 2020. The trademark, if approved, will cover the following areas:
- Clothing: shirts, tank tops, tee shirts, pants, jackets, coats, suits, jeans, shorts, sweaters, sweatshirts, sweat pants, skirts, dresses, bathing suits, socks, sleepwear, underwear, and footwear.
- Bags including wallets, messenger bags, and travel bags.
- Eyewear, namely, sunglasses, eyeglasses, and their structural parts and cases; protective laptop and cell phone covers.
- Retail and online retail store services in general merchandise, namely, clothing, bags, jewelry, fragrances, and eyewear.
- Fragrances including cologne, aftershave, and perfumes.
- Cosmetics and personal care products such as bath and shower gel, bath soap, body cream, and deodorant.
- Haircare products like shampoo and conditioner.
- Jewelry of precious and semi-precious metals, namely, rings, bracelets, necklaces, cuff links, earrings, pendants, tuxedo studs, and watches.
Comador
This mark applies to a logo design consisting of the word Comador and an axial design with four pairs of arrowheads pointing to the center of the design. The axial design is superimposed over two concurrent circles of an ivy vine, similar to a wreath.
This filing took place in 2014 and applies to the following category.
- Smoking articles, namely, cigars, cigar cutters, cigar cases, cigarette lighters, and tobacco pouches.
Jay Z
In addition to trademarking his legal name, Jay Z also trademarked his stage name. Jay-Z’s first use in e-commerce was in 1995, and the trademark filing was registered in 2000. The trademark applies to the following categories:
- Printed matter, paper, and stationery products, including posters.
- Clothing for men, women, and children: shirts, T-shirts, jackets, sweatshirts, jerseys, hats, caps, scarves, and bandanas.
- Series of musical sound recordings and prerecorded videotapes and videodiscs featuring music.
Recently, a new trademark filing was submitted. In 2021, the trademark was expanded to include:
- Fungible and non-fungible token-based goods, namely, music, clothing, jewelry, eyewear, bags, toys, fragrances, sports equipment for use online and in online virtual worlds.
- Retail goods and services.
- Entertainment services are provided online, non-downloadable products and services in virtual environments.
Wrapping Up
Jay Z has around 40 trademarks registered with the USPTO. If you don’t register your trademark, you can’t fully protect yourself against trademark infringement. With a net worth of around 1.3 billion, Jay Z can’t afford to skimp on protecting his intellectual property.
