Detroit emcee Eminem has asked a Philadelphia court for a protective order against Potomac stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon as he battles them in a trademark dispute case.
Last year, the lyricist filed a motion in opposition to the housewives’ trademark request to set up a Reasonably Shady podcast hosted by the reality TV stars. The emcee felt this would be an infringement on his brand.
The rhymer (real name Marshall Mathers) filed a motion that argued his brand would be “damaged” if the Housewives of Potomac were granted the right to set up the podcast as he is widely known for his moniker Slim Shady. Many of his products also contain the phrase Shady.
Bryant and Dixon have responded to the motion filed by Mathers by asking the court to make the lyricist attend a deposition. This would mean the ‘Lose Yourself’ musician would have to testify under oath or by written statement.
Eminem filed a protective order against Bryant and Dixon in late December to make sure he doesn’t have to make a deposition in their presence. The filing also suggested that someone with “superior knowledge to Mathers on the relevant topics” would be appropriate if there is to be a deposition.
In a statement released by Bryant and Dixon’s attorney, Andrea Evans, Evans wrote, “It seems obvious to us that if you file a lawsuit, you should be made available to be deposed.”
Evans added that their team would “like to question Mathers at least about his use of the expressions Slim Shady and Shady. It’s unclear to us that Mathers can be the owner of the trademarks and file this suit against our clients, but he will not make himself available to be deposed.”
However, Mathers’ manager Paul Rosenberg has insisted that the motion filed by Bryant and Dixon was “premature and procedurally improper,” as the court is “yet to serve” Mathers his court papers.
