Dr Dre, the legendary rapper and producer, has won a legal ruling entitling him to 100 per cent of the profits from digital sales of his classic album 'The Chronic'. Dr Dre took label executives to court last year, accusing them of improperly selling his debut album online, reports the Toronto Sun.
Dr Dre, real name Andre Young, alleged that executives were using his hits in compilations without his authorization. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder ruled in favour of the producer on Tuesday (19th April 2011), stating that Death Row Records bosses do not have the rights to sell the album online. Synder also ruled that Dre has received far less profits than he is entitled to from web sales of the 1992 record. In a statement made to the Associated Press, Dre's attorney Howard King confirmed that the ruling means the hip-hop star will now receive 100 per cent of the proceeds, adding, "For years, Death Row Records forgot about Dre when they continued to distribute his music digitally and combined his hits with weaker Death Row tracks in an attempt to elevate the stature of their other artists".
It's not the first time that Dr Dre has battled Death Row Records, the label that he left back in 1996. He sued the company over claims that they modified a version of his album and was in violation of trademark and publicity law. The case was thrown out of court.