Jay-Z’s attorney appeared in court on June 22 for a hearing in the legal battle with Damon Dash over the rapper’s debut album ‘Reasonable Doubt’ and successfully blocked an attempt to sell the music as a non-financial transaction (NFT).
A legal battle between the co-founders of Roc-A-Fella Records escalated on Friday (June 18), once Jay’s attorney’s sued Dash, alleging that he was attempting to sell “the copyright to Jay’s debut album Reasonable Doubt as an NFT at “a SuperFarm Foundation online auction” on June 23.
Hov’s attorney, Alex Spiro, attended the first hearing in the case today (June 22), however, Damon Dash’s representatives were strangely absent.
Although Dash owns a third of Roc-A-Fella Records, Jay-Z’s counsel claimed Damon was seeking to gain sole control of Reasonable Doubt by selling the album as an NFT. However, Dash does not own the copyright to the record; Roc-A-Fella Records does.
Spiro alluded to an unreleased press statement written by Dash and SuperFarm to promote Reasonable Doubt as an NFT. And that he had hoped to make $30 million by selling Reasonable Doubt as an NFT through SuperFarm, according to Alex Spiro.
During the hearing, Alex Spiro refuted Damon’s recent public claims that he was attempting to sell his 1/3 ownership in Roc-A-Fella Records.
Stating: “They [Damon Dash and SuperFarm] inadvertently admitted to everything that we’re alleging. They refer multiple times in the press release that they are trying to sell, copyright,” Alex Spiro told Judge Cronan. “They admit that they want the seller to profit from the future revenue, and for the buyer to profit from revenue which they have no right to do…they say over and over again that this is a new milestone in the history of NFT’s.”
Alex came to the conclusion as he claimed Dash made efforts to resist demands made to halt all sale of ‘Reasonable Doubt’ as an NFT even after Jay’s attorneys had served Dash with a cease-and-desist order.
Upon this testimony, Judge Cranon agreed with Spiro and ruled that selling Reasonable Doubt as an NFT would cause irreparable damage to Jay-Z and Roc-A-Fella Records, and granted the interim restraining order against Damon and SuperFarm.
The judge ruled: “The plaintiff Roc-A-Fella Records has shown a likelihood of success on the merits, according to the declaration of Mr. Carter submitted by the plaintiff, Roc-A-Fella Records. Roc-A-Fella Records owns the copyright in Mr. Carter’s album Reasonable Doubt and Mr. Dash, the defendant does not. This is supported not only by the recorded declaration, but also by the contract between Mr. Carter, and Roc-A-Fella Records.”
Adding that: “The allegations suggest that Mr. Dash is attempting to sell something that he does not own. This was certainly caused hardship to [the] Plaintiff the alleged rightful owner of the copyright.”
Judge Cronan concluded: “And also, if Mr. Dash, did this, it could cause confusion in the marketplace, regarding the owner of the album Reasonable Doubt, and as Mr. Spiro noted, this seems like a particularly relevant concern here, given the importance of protecting the public in this burgeoning new marketplace.”
On July 1, Jay-Z, Roc-A-Fella Records, and Damon Dash will have their next hearing where Dash may appeal the judges ruling should his counsel decide to appear in court.
Stay tuned to YEEEAAH! Network for more updates as it develops.
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