Roc-A-Fella Records, which was founded in 1996 by legendary rap artist and businessman Jay-Z, began court proceedings against the reality TV star with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office. The record label claimed that the Rockafella restaurant breached its trademark rights.
At first, Terry Miller won a ruling granting him exclusive UK trademark rights to use the Rockafella name for the restaurant and catering businesses. He could not use it in the USA. Soon, it was made known that executives for Roc-A-Fella hired lawyers at London-based Forrester Ketley & Co to appeal against the decision.
Five years after the initial case started, Mr. Miller was ordered to stop usage of the Rockafella name for his catering company. He is allowed to keep his restaurant under that brand, however, the establishment closed in 2009.
The chef stated, “There is a large degree of dissimilarity between restaurant and catering services on the one hand and the services relating to record production on the other.”
“I’ve had enough of this whole naming thing now.”
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