What’s Michael Jordan’s name worth? US$8.9 million as a supermarket chain finds out the hard way
NBA legend says the case 'was never about money' and he will give the damages award to charities in Chicago
Jurors at a civil trial focused on the market value of Michael Jordan’s identity handed him a major win on Friday, ordering a grocery-store chain to pay him US$8.9 million for invoking his name in a steak ad without his permission.
The amount was close to the US$10 million his attorneys said the one-time use of his name was worth and Jordan hugged his lawyers 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 said 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.”
Jordan added that the case “was never about money” and that he’ll give the damages award to charities in Chicago.
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
Stepping back into the courthouse, two jurors asked him for a photograph and he obliged by throwing his arms around them and smiling for a cellphone camera.
A judge ruled before trial that the now-defunct Dominick’s Finer Foods, which was owned by Safeway, was liable. So the sole unresolved issue was damages for the unauthorised ad in a 2009 Sports Illustrated. It congratulated Jordan on his Hall of Fame induction and included a US$2-off coupon above a photo of a sizzling steak. Jurors deliberated for six hours before returning with the US$8.9 million figure, at one point sending a note to the judge that said, “We need a calculator”.