Rap or Pap? Dr. Dre Loses Trademark Battle With Dr. Drai, A Gynecologist
from the still-drai dept
I trust that readers of this site young and old will be familiar with Dr. Dre. The wildly famous rapper has made hit records, produced some of the biggest names in hip hop, been a mogul in the music hardware space with his headphone line, and performed countless pelvic exams on women throughout the American northeast.
Wait, that last part can’t be right. Surely I was legitimately confused by the existence of Dr. Drai, an OB/GYN in Pennsylvania who dared attempt to get a trademark on his name for his doctor-ly practice. It seems that Dr. Dre has been locked in a trademark opposition with Dr. Drai going on three years, arguing that the absurd example of faked confusion above is actually likely to happen for real.
Dr. Drai, a Pennsylvania-based gynecologist filed in 2015 to trademark his name and “Doctor Drai OBGYN & Media Personality.” Dr. Dre tried to pump the brakes on that application, claiming it would cause confusion in the marketplace … since their names sound alike.
The gyno was born Draion M. Burch, but according to his application he’s been going by Dr. Drai for years. He’s authored books and makes public appearances using it.
Dre’s opposition is obviously, and hilariously, without merit. The whole point of trademark law is to keep the public from being confused as to the source of goods and services. Because of that, trademarks are valid only for given markets. Dr. Dre has a perfectly valid trademark case to make in the realm of music and entertainment. He has zero case to make in the realm of medical practices, no matter what stage name he chose to take all those years ago. In short, no woman is scheduling a visit with a gynecologist under the impression that the D.R.E. would be the one performing it.
The trademark office, of course, agreed.
The trademark office agreed with the medical doc, saying although the gangsta doc was well known … there wasn’t enough evidence people would be confused. Let’s be honest … no one’s downloading “The Chronic” from a gyno. Although, sounds like there should be a shot for that.
Point being … the case was dismissed.
Don’t worry, Dre. We still won’t forget about you.
Filed Under: dr. drai, dr. dre, gynecology, likelihood of confusion, music, trademark, uspto
Comments on “Rap or Pap? Dr. Dre Loses Trademark Battle With Dr. Drai, A Gynecologist”
“and performed countless pelvic exams on women throughout the American northeast.”
Not to confuse exams with “exams”. Oh wait, Dr. Dre actually has a point? /derp
That mental association isn't going away anytime soon
So ‘Doctor’ Dre is regularly confused as a gynecologist, to the point that he even felt the need to go legal to prevent the problem from getting even worse. Got it.
Re: That mental association isn't going away anytime soon
This story would have been so much better had the trademark office asked the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine which one should be called ‘Doctor’.
Who let Dre out of my basement?
Don’t worry, Dre, nobody would ever confuse you for someone who can’t be trusted around women.
A more fortunate choice than his name and "The Cocky Gynecologist."
One thing I learned while still in middle school was that anyone born with a Y chromosome does not get to crack any kind of gynecologist jokes ever. It’s completely off limits (outside of locker rooms of course)
Timothy Geigner had better “check his privilege” before the “me too” movement starts demanding his head on a platter.
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So you feel your rights to offend the opposite sex have been infringed upon … well, cry me a river.
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Get bent, puritan @$$hole.
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What a reasonable and mature response to a rather benign question. Do you go out of your way to be silly or is it natural?
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I think you need your lithium levels checked. Bizarre ideation is a hallmark symptom of a maniac episode.
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Did I miss something? Where did Geigner make a gynecologist joke?
Also, I’ll take the words of George Carlin over a random AC. To paraphrase, ‘anything can be turned into a joke, it just depends on where the exaggeration is.’
Dr. Dre is now a PAP star too!
Can…Can I buy the ability to *un*-First-Word that smear of crap that’s currently occupying that slot?
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I can only imagine the flame wars that would erupt if that were possible, AC.
For the record, as a woman who is somewhat supportive of the #MeToo movement I find Mr. Geigner’s comments amusing.
Great article, Tim. 🙂
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can’t we just flag it to oblivion?
Ironically, Dre has insured that it’ll be markedly more difficult for people to Forget About Drai.
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