Former N.W.A rapper-turned-music-mogul Dr. Dre has been involved in a legal battle for the rights to his name for years. But he wasn’t embroiled in a battle with Doctor Dre — the former co-host of Yo! MTV Raps.
Rather, he was fighting a trademark filed by a Pennsylvania-based OB/GYN named Doctor Drai.
And it’s a battle he just lost.
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TMZis reporting Doctor Drai has been using the name for years, based on his real name, which is Draion M. Burch. Drai is also a touring media personality who has written books (including 20 Things You May Not Know About The Penis), but when he applied for a trademark for the name in 2015, the original (at least, the West Coast original) Dr. Dre stepped in.
So honored to be the @blackenterprise Modern Man. @bemodernman @tyrusrochelltownsendhttps://t.co/0xRlkKJa0v … pic.twitter.com/yxZJr2EDbh
— Dr. Drai™ (@DrDraiOBGYN) November 30, 2016
Dre the rapper claims that Drai the gynecologist has a name that sounds “too similar” to his professional name. Dre the rapper, essentially, was claiming trademark dilution, which gives the owner of a “famous trademark” grounds to argue that others can’t use the trademark in such a way that it “dilutes” its uniqueness.
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The trademark office decided that while Dr. Dre and Doctor Drai certainly sound similar, there wasn’t enough evidence to suggest that there would be “confusion” between the names.
Long story short: case dismissed.
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