JAY-Z Sues Australian Children’s Book Author For Using His Name & Lyrics Without Permission
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The author and her husband were previously caught wearing blackface and using racial slurs.
JAY-Z has sued Australian author Jessica Chiha and her company, The Little Homie, over AB to Jay-Z, a book that uses photos of rappers and their lyrics to teach children the alphabet. According to The Sydney Morning Herald, the Brooklyn rapper claims Chiha “knowingly infringed on his trademarks and engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct” by selling the book.
Court documents filed in the Federal Court of Victoria allege the books infringe on the copyright of the lyrics to Jay’s 2004 hit, “99 Problems.” As the filing points out, the back cover includes a quote flipping the song’s hook:
On the original hook, Jay raps:
If you’re havin' girl problems, I feel bad for you, son
I got 99 problems, but a bitch ain’t one
According to Jay’s legal team at King & Wood Mallesons, the rapper originally asked The Little Homie to stop selling the book in March 2018. However, the company allegedly continued to “deliberately and knowingly” use his likeness and lyrics in a “flagrant, glaring” way.
The claim adds the use of Jay’s name, image, and wording was “calculated to injure, has injured, and is continuing to injure the reputation and goodwill of Mr. Carter.”
Back in 2017, The Little Homie raised $8,000 on Kickstarter to produce the photo book. However, Chiha and her husband Danny Chiha—who are white—became embroiled in controversy over their use of the n-word to promote the book. Photos were also discovered of Danny Chiha wearing blackface.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Chiha said she was “unbelievably disappointed” to find itself caught in a legal battle “with someone whose music we love and adore.” She added that her business was founded to help parents encourage literacy while celebrating her love for hip-hop.
“We refer to a whole host of hip-hop artists in the books, but to have someone like Jay-Z file legal proceedings is daunting beyond belief and hugely dispiriting,” Chiha said. “We maintain we have done nothing wrong and intend to give it everything we’ve got for common sense and the common good to prevail, to the extent we can fight the fight.”
AB to Jay-Z is currently still being sold on The Little Homie website, where it is marked down from $29.95 to $8.
Catch up on all the lyrics to JAY-Z’s “99 Problems” on Genius now.
