The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office says it’s pretty sure the general public can tell the differences between one of hip-hop’s all-time great producers and a gynecologist from Pennsylvania.
The office has dismissed a long-running trademark battle filed by Dr. Dre in 2015 against Dr. Draion M. Burch, who practices, publishes and gives seminars under the name of “Dr. Drai.”
In its ruling, the trademark officials said Dre (real name Andre Young) had failed to demonstrate how people would confuse the two when buying Drai’s products, which include books such as 20 Things You May Not Know About A Vagina.
Dre, who is credited with discovering artists such as Snoop Dogg, Eminiem, and 50 Cent, occasionally works with Apple, and who, in 2011, recorded I Need A Doctor, originally said Drai’s application would “trade on the goodwill generated by” the music legend’s name.
Drai, upon receiving the cease and desist letter, said he was “hurt that someone was attacking me in my position as being a doctor” and “appalled how someone would think I wanted to be them.”