Jay-Z tried to sue me. True story.

Here’s the short version of my funniest brush with fame. Years ago, Jay-Z’s lawyers tried to bully my agency, Forty, into changing our name because of his 40/40 Club. They were blasting out cease-and-desist letters to anyone with “40” in the name. The problem is, that’s not how trademarks work. You need a confusingly similar name in the same category. That’s why you’ll see things like a roofing company named Amazon or a plumbing shop named McDonald’s without anyone getting hauled into court.

Their angle was that they planned to sell T-shirts and noticed we had T-shirts with our logo, therefore we were “in the same industry.” Cute. We’d used the name for years, our brand was legit, and there was no risk of confusion. So I replied with a very professional “no.” That was the end of it.

Moral of the story. Know the basics, don’t get rattled by big names, and defend your brand with confidence. If you want help building a position that stands up to pressure, reach out and let’s map it out together.