Rapper DR. Dre is threatening legal action against music producer DIAMONDDre after accusing the artist of stealing his name.
Up-and-coming producer Drew Reyes recently gained approval from members of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to operate under his stage name DiamondDre.
However, music icon Dr. Dre, real name Andre Young, has now ordered the artist to change his pseudonym or face a lawsuit - because the moniker could cause brand confusion.
An excerpt of the document, fired off to Reyes' legal team, reads, "Given our clients (sic) fame in the music business as both a producer and performer, particularly with regard to Hip-Hop, in which your client is also active, any use by a performer of the name or mark Dre or of a name or mark that contains Dre, maybe confused with him.
"Your client's mark is particularly likely to be confused with our client, because your client is emphasizing Dre over the rest of the mark.
"Because our client respects fellow musicians and producers and prefers to resolve conflicts amicably, our client is willing to refrain from filing a petition to cancel your client's registration... provided your client agrees to always present his mark - both online and in the brick and mortar world - as Diamonddre or DIAMONDDre."
However, Reyes has vowed not to cave into the pressure.
Addressing the conflict during an interview with AllHipHop.com, he says, "I Refuse to let any person, regardless of whom they are or their status, bully me; I don't know if it's because of some apprehensive complex you (Dr. Dre) may have, whether it's 'cause you're afraid another artist named Dre may outshine you... but I will tell you this... my name is DiamondDre."