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Rapper Eminem seeks a protective order against RHOP stars Robyn Dixon and Gizelle Bryant amid trademark dispute over podcast name.
The ongoing legal battle between Eminem and RHOP stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon is getting shady and unreasonable.
Per All Hip Hop, on December 15, the rapper filed a protective order against the RHOP stars so that he would not have to show up in person for a court deposition in connection to his ongoing trademark dispute over the Bravolebs’s Reasonably Shady podcast.
The Michigan-based rapper, who goes by the monikers Slim Shady and Shady, claimed it would be “unduly burdensome” for him to appear in court as he claims to have “limited knowledge of the subjects at issue.”
Instead, Eminem’s attorney offered up three people who could appear in the rapper’s place, including his manager, Paul Rosenberg.
According to the rapper’s attorney, Rosenberg is willing to appear and has “equal and superior knowledge on the relevant topics.”
The attorney adds that the RHOP stars have [remained] insistent on deposing [Marshall] Mathers, which is Eminenm’s legal name. This is why they are now asking for “a protective order precluding the deposition of Marshall Mathers.”
However, the RHOP stars’ attorney, Andrea Evans, tells Page Six that Eminem filed the protective order “to preserve the confidentiality of the information.”
“The main issue now is that Mathers is refusing to be deposed. Mathers is the owner of the marks at issue, and his attorneys are saying he doesn’t have information about the marks. We have filed a motion to compel Mathers to be deposed. It seems obvious to us that if you file a lawsuit, you should be made available to be deposed,” she continued.
Evans explained that they are waiting on the court’s ruling while admitting that she would “like to question Mathers at least about his use of the expression Slim Shady and Shay.”
“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,” she said.
The RHOP stars trademark battle with the rapper began after they filed a trademark for their podcast name, Reasonably Shady, in February 2023 with the intention to sell merchandise.
A few weeks later, Eminem filed an opposition to the RHOP stars’ trademark request. The 51-year-old rapper claims his brand would be “damaged” and that there could be “confusion in the minds of consumers” if Robyn and Gizelle’s trademark request was approved.
Since then, Robyn and Gizelle have fought back against the rapper and asked the judge to deny his opposition.
The RHOP OGs launched their podcast in 2021. It has become one of the most successful podcasts in the Bravoverse.
RHOP airs Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
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