Eminem is hoping that the real Slim Shady won’t have to stand up… in court.
The rap superstar’s legal team has filed documents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office opposing the request that he be deposed in an ongoing trademark dispute with The Real Housewives of Potomac stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon.
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The reality TV personalities are attempting to trademark the term “Reasonably Shady” — the name of the podcast they launched in May 2021.
Eminem objects, claiming that the phrase is “confusingly similar” to “Shady” and “Slim Shady,” both of which he has trademarked for various commercial uses.
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Bryant and Dixon want to depose Em, but the “Lose Yourself” rapper has argued that he should be allowed to send his manager Paul Rosenberg instead.
“[I]t is [Eminem’s] position that [Eminem’s] longtime personal manager, Paul Rosenberg, has at least equal and almost certainly superior knowledge of the relevant issues, and that [Eminem] does not have any unique, nonduplicative knowledge of the relevant facts,” the filing reads.
In addition, the filing claims Slim Shady is extremely busy.
“[I]t would be burdensome for Mathers to attend a deposition in the month of December and the following months, namely, because he is presently engaged on projects which require his attendance continuously for the next several months,” the document continues.
You can see the full document below.
Bryant and Dixon have previously stated that they do not want Rosenberg to substitute for his famous client.
“Mr. Rosenberg did not sign the registrations at issue and claim under oath that he is the exclusive owner of the registrations at issue,” their legal team wrote in a document late last month.
“[Bryant and Dixon] would be prejudiced if the deposition of Mathers is not allowed since Applicants will be unable to gather critical evidence relevant to [Eminem’s] marks including…image, mindset, and intentions regarding selection and use of the marks.”
Back in March, Em’s legal team filed documents to block Bryant and Dixon’s trademark application as they felt it could also be damaging to his lucrative brand, but the Bravo reality stars aren’t going down that easy.
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“[Bryant and Dixon’s] mark REASONABLY SHADY, simply looks and sounds like SHADY and suggests that it represents the services of Mathers,” the Detroit icon’s legal team wrote.
“REASONABLY SHADY so resembles Opposer’s mark SLIM SHADY, SHADY and the mark SHADY LIMITED in terms of appearance, sound and commercial impression as to be likely, when applied to [Robyn & Gizelle’s] goods, to cause confusion and mistake and to deceive.”
