ESPN is in some thick ice for copyright infringement
When Michael “Dutch” Jackson recorded and produced the hip hop song “I am the Greatest,” ESPN, AND1, Amazon and Hastings Entertainment (“Defendants”), decided to brand the song to market, promote, and sell basketball shoes, sports apparel, DVDs, television programs and websites. However, according to Dutch Jackson, Defendants never got permission to use the song for marketing purposes.
Jackson’s 31 page complaint was filed yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri alleging Defendants unauthorized use of “I am the Greatest” was in direct violation of the Federal Copyright Act, Federal Lanham Act, and various state laws. Defendants were in further violation for using the song for commercial advantage reaping millions of dollars in profit and brand value.
Jackson stated in the complaint that he wrote and recorded the song, but did not officially release to Defendants who used the song without expressed permission. For copyright infringement, Jackson seeks monetary damages, compensatory and punitive, for “all sales, income and profit earned.”
