Eminem is serious about remaining the shadiest of them all. In a battle to hold onto his “Slim Shady” moniker, the Grammy-winning rapper has reportedly filed for a protective order against The Real Housewives of Potomac stars Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon. The order, filed with the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, is part of Eminem’s ongoing trademark battle with the reality stars. 

If granted, the rapper will not have to attend an in-person deposition. As Blavity reported, the initial trademark battle began earlier this year in February. The Detroit native filed an opposition against hosts filing a trademark for the name of their podcast Reasonably Shady. He claimed the name was too close to his famous moniker and could “cause confusion in the minds of consumers.”

In court documents obtained by All Hip Hop, the attorneys for the “Lose Yourself” rapper filed the order on Dec. 15, 2023, in response to Bryant and Dixon’s request for him to attend a physical deposition.  His legal team argued that having the rapper attend a deposition is “premature and procedurally improper,” based on the notion that the two podcast hosts “have yet to serve” Eminem “with a notice of deposition, a necessary prerequisite to taking and requesting that the Board compel a deposition.”

They ended the statement with claims that Bryant and Dixon haven’t attempted to contact or obtain what they seek from the rapper” in “more convenient and less burdensome means.”

The outlet added that the 51-year-old rapper listed three representatives, including his manager, Paul Rosenberg, who he felt were more qualified to attend and answer questions regarding his Shady trademark.

“Opposer has offered to produce three other individuals having equal and superior knowledge to Mathers on the relevant topics,” his lawyer said.

The documents also stated he believed the RHOP cast members had been misguided in compelling him to a deposition. In closing, Eminem’s legal team insisted that Bryant and Dixon “remain insistent on deposing Mathers,” so they are asking for “a protective order precluding the deposition of Marshall Mathers.”

The Bravo stars began the Reasonably Shady podcast in 2021. Their weekly conversations revolve around dating, relationships, marriage, entrepreneurship, motherhood, style, current events and more. Their affiliation with the show led to success with a listenership reaching over five million in February of this year.

Dixon and Bryant’s attorney, Andrea Evans, provided a statement on Page Six regarding Eminem filing the protective order.

Evans stated, “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.”

 

Evans continued by saying that it seems “obvious” that if you file a lawsuit, you should be available to be “deposed.” She explained that while her clients wait for an official ruling, they would like to “question” the rapper about his use of “Slim Shady and Shady.”

Documents provided by trademark attorney Clarissa Harvey proved that Eminem owns exclusive rights to “Slim Shady,” which he has been using for entertainment since 1997. He also has legal registration for the word “Shady” in Class 025, allowing him to use the term for T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and various other forms of merchandise.

Bryant and Dixon’s attorney clarified to Page Six that the two “deny any likelihood of confusion between Mather’s trademarks and their Reasonably Shady mark.”

She closed her statement with the following: “We are prepared to defend any allegations against them regarding their intellectual property.”

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