Dr Dre loses trademark fight with medical doctor using the name "Dr. Drai"

Dr Dre's trademark dispute against Pennsylvania gynaecologist Draion M Burch is at its end, reports the BBC. Burch will be allowed to keep his "Dr Drai" trademark registration over the music star's objection.

Mr Burch had also argued that consumers would be unlikely to confuse the two names "because Dr Dre is not a medical doctor nor is he qualified to provide any type of medical services or sell products specifically in the medical or healthcare industry".

He further testified that he did not seek to trade on Dr Dre's reputation because the association would be "a bad reflection on me as a doctor" - citing lyrics he characterised as misogynistic and homophobic.

The vast semiotic gulf between the hip-hop star and a stethoscope-draped goofball offering penis-cleaning tips could not be bridged in court. As Burch's lawyer intimates, though, the Dr Dre moniker turned out to be a foolish one to wink at given that Burch's intended market is self-aware women. Since they both lose, everyone else wins.

Illo: Ed Piskor