Dr. Dre Loses 2 Claims Against Death Row

[Chad]

http://thresq.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/06/dr-dre-chronic-reissue-lawsuit.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Thu Jun 10, 2010 @ 01:00PM PST
By Eriq Gardner

 Dr. Dre has been feuding with Death Row Records since his former record label was bought out of bankruptcy last year. The new entity, WIDEawake Death Row Records, put out a new version of his iconic album "The Chronic," as well as a greatest hits collection, without his permission.


Dre sued in February.


On Monday, a California district court tossed Dre's claims that Death Row's release of "The Chronic Re-Lit" violated his rights of trademark and publicity. However, the judge is allowing another claim — that he hasn't been paid royalties since splitting from Death Row in 1996 — to be heard.


Dre, whose real name is Andre Young, pushed the argument that Death Row was suggesting his endorsement of the new albums, particularly in the way it placed his name and likeness on the jacket cover of the album. In defense, Death Row said they didn't substantially modify the substance of "The Chronic" in anyway other than giving it sonic clarity and a slightly louder volume.


The nature of this dispute is informed by the casual way that Dre first created "The Chronic" in the early 1990s.


When Dre formed Death Row Records in 1991, he orally granted the label a non-exclusive license to release sound recordings. The following year, he made another oral agreement to the same effect over "The Chronic" in exchange for 18 percent royalty rate. Then, in 1996, he split Death Row, disclaiming his ownership interest in both the company and the sound recordings in exchange for both the previous-agreed-upon royalty rate and a promise not to distribute any of his songs except "in the manners heretofore distributed."


In analyzing the case, California District Court Judge Christina Snyder applies the so-called "Monty Python" rule, after a 1976 case where a defendant extensively edited the TV comedy series in order to broadcast it on television. The question is whether the changes to Dre's album are more than "cosmetic."


Judge Snider rules the alterations are "minor and inconsequential." She also points out that the image used on the cover jacket is the same photograph from the original album, instead of a more current photo, which may have gone further to imply some new endorsement.


Interestingly, on the right of publicity claim, it's the defendant who claims free speech protection on the plaintiff's expressive works. Somewhat of a novel legal twist.


Judge Snyder buys that argument, saying the use of plaintiff's likeness is no more than incidental to the protected publication of Dre's albums.


All said, Dre will have to settle for going after the new iteration of Death Row on the money he alleges is owed to him.


Here's the decision.

[Nega-Sikotic 2.0.]

Fail.

[GangstaBoogy]

Good. I'm sick of Dre with all these Detox distractions.

[Citizen-Y]

Sonic clarity and Loudness, aka ruining the goddamn original sound.

[V2DHeart]

I liked the re-lit album as an additional extra, but the bonuses wern't all CDQ, and mixed correctly for retail release, so I can Dre's problems with it, considering he's a perfectionist, and likes everything with his name to be exact and on point. The re-lit release if considered a fail in sound quality could have conflicted with his sound quality persona that he was trying to pre-create for the Detox release with his headphones product

End of the day, I couldn't really care. I guess he should have worked with the label, and he wouldn't have had to sit with his tail between his legs

[Blasphemy]

http://thresq.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/06/dr-dre-chronic-reissue-lawsuit.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Thu Jun 10, 2010 @ 01:00PM PST
By Eriq Gardner

 Dr. Dre has been feuding with Death Row Records since his former record label was bought out of bankruptcy last year. The new entity, WIDEawake Death Row Records, put out a new version of his iconic album "The Chronic," as well as a greatest hits collection, without his permission.


Dre sued in February.

I loled

[Jaydc]

good,dres a bitch,he waits until suge is gone to sue lol.

[Jimmy H.]

good,dres a bitch,he waits until suge is gone to sue lol.

Incorrect. He was after them over publishing when Suge was still running the label. There's been a lot of this going around for years but between him leaving and surrending his ownership and the whole "2001-Chronic 2000" deal, there was a lot of stuff that Suge was supposedly contractualy protected from.

[JohnnyL]

 I'm glad Dre lost.  Wideawake bought the rights to the Chronic when they bought Death Row.  Was "Chronic: Re-Lit" a disappointment?  I think most would say yes.  But the album itself wasn't significantly different to what was on the original.  I don't know why he or his legal team thought they could win this.

[Dre-Day]

good,dres a bitch,he waits until suge is gone to sue lol.

Incorrect. He was after them over publishing when Suge was still running the label. There's been a lot of this going around for years but between him leaving and surrending his ownership and the whole "2001-Chronic 2000" deal, there was a lot of stuff that Suge was supposedly contractualy protected from.

yeah, how many times did Dre sue death row when Suge was still there?
he even wanted to move the Chronic to Aftermath if i'm not mistaken

[StevenQBosell]

I liked the re-lit album as an additional extra, but the bonuses wern't all CDQ, and mixed correctly for retail release, so I can Dre's problems with it, considering he's a perfectionist, and likes everything with his name to be exact and on point. The re-lit release if considered a fail in sound quality could have conflicted with his sound quality persona that he was trying to pre-create for the Detox release with his headphones product

End of the day, I couldn't really care. I guess he should have worked with the label, and he wouldn't have had to sit with his tail between his legs

[BOX5 the best poster on this site yell]

suge knight and deathrow is dr dre's daddy when it comes to royalties and in the court room haha, i bet alot of people right now wish wide awake had they hands on detox hahaha yell

[Detox Iz Not Active]

when Dre signed to Interscope  I heard Suge gave Iovine the same leash he used on Dre