Roc-A-Fella Sues Damon Dash Over NFT of JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt

Music

Roc-A-Fella Sues Damon Dash Over NFT of JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt

Roc-A-Fella states that co-founder Dash cannot legally sell the 1996 LP as a non-fungible token since the rights to the album belong to the label
JAYZ Damon Dash in 2004
JAY-Z, Damon Dash in 2004 (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage).

Roc-A-Fella Records is suing co-founder Damon Dash for attempting to auction Reasonable Doubt as an NFT, TMZ reports. Roc-A-Fella alleges that Dash cannot legally sell JAY-Z’s 1996 LP as the rights to the album belong to the label.

According to court documents viewed by TMZ, Dash’s attempted NFT auction has since been canceled. However the suit claims that Dash is “frantically scouting for another venue to make the sale.” The complaint was filed by attorney Alex Spiro. Pitchfork has reached out to Spiro for further comment.

Just last week, JAY-Z filed a lawsuit against hip-hop photographer Jonathan Mannion, who shot the cover of Reasonable Doubt. The suit concerned Mannion’s use of JAY-Z’s likeness in photographs sold and used by the photographer. JAY-Z accused Mannion of “exploiting” his name and image “without [his] consent.”

Back in 2016, JAY-Z and Dash (along with Kareem “Biggs” Burke, Roc-A-Fella, UMG, and Island Def Jam) were sued by clothing designer Dwayne Walker. Walker claimed he created the Roc-A-Fella logo and was owed royalties for its use. He sued for $7 million over breach of contract and copyright infringement. 

Read “Why Do NFTs Matter for Music?” over on the Pitch.

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