Michael Jordan was awarded $8.9 million by a federal court in Chicago this week, after a popular supermarket chain (owned by Safeway), Dominick’s, used his name and likeness in an advertisement for steak in 2009.
Prior to proceedings, the court had already decided Dominick’s was liable for using Jordan’s name and likeness to pimp their meat. The proceedings that just wrapped up were solely to decide how much Jordan was owed for the unauthorized ad; taking into consideration that the ad ran in a commemorative issue of Sports Illustrated and only two customers redeemed the $2 steak coupon. The grocery store’s lawyers insisted that $126,900 would be fair compensation, but Jordan wanted more.
Chicago Tribune’s Kim Janssen reports that it was more about pride than money:
The case turned on the two sides’ competing versions of how to calculate the fair market value of the ad. Jordan testified that he signs only long-term deals expected to be worth $10 million and that he would “never” have agreed to the Dominick’s ad, which compared him to a piece of meat and came with a $2-off coupon for steaks.
The amount was close to the $10 million his attorneys said the one-time use of his name was worth. Jordan hugged his attorneys after the decision was read in a federal court in Chicago, where Jordan won six NBA titles with the Bulls.
“I’m so used to playing on a different court,” a visibly delighted Jordan told reporters outside the courthouse. “This shows I will protect my name to the fullest. … It’s my name and I worked hard for it … and I’m not just going to let someone take it.”
Needless to say, this was a big win for Jordan, who celebrated his victory by reportedly snapping photos with jurors. Subtle…
