Dr. Dre Loses Trademark Case Against Dr. Drai
Dr. Dre, the rap star, sued to block a trademark by Dr. Drai, a gynecologist.
Dr. Draion Bruch, who goes by Dr. Drai, said he uses his short name for business purposes. Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, said the trademark would confuse people.
The Patent and Trademark Office was not confused, however, and ruled against the music man in Young v. Burch. But what is mind-blowing, how come the highest paid doctor is a rapper?
Doctor, Doctor
How rich is Dr. Dre? According to people who care, his net worth is just south of $800 million. He's slumming it behind Jay Z and Diddy who are basically billionaires.
Dr. Dre got a bump from Apple, which bought his "Beats" for $3 million in 2014. But he'll be in the billionaire boys club soon because Apple owes him more than $100 million in stock.
Other than question why you didn't go to rap school, do you wonder why Dr. Dre would fight a relatively unknown doctor over his moniker? Rap music and gynecology could be confusing, but who would confuse an obgyn and a rapper?
Dr. Dre's lawyers put it this way: "Both of Applicant's Marks and DR. DRE begin with the terms doctor or the abbreviation for doctor, which are followed by a term that begins with the letters "D" and "R" and ends with vowels that make the same sound."
Trademark Confusion
OK, so that's confusing. But that's because the rapper's lawyers said it.
The real doctor's lawyers said just because two names sound similar doesn't mean it's confusing in the marketplace. To be infringing, trademarks have to be in a related field.
Ars Technica said it was a straightforward case. Still, they would "love to hear a Drai/Dre crossover album."
"We're slightly less excited about Dre's ability to practice gynecology, however," wrote Cyrus Farivar.
Related Resources:
- Oil Field Technology Patents Invalidated (FindLaw's U.S. Federal Circuit Blog)
- Personalized Medicine Gets a Booster Shot From Patent Court (FindLaw's U.S. Federal Circuit Blog)
- United States Federal Circuit Cases (FindLaw's Cases & Codes)
