Details of the ruling became public knowledge Wednesday (April 20).
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder ruling states that the rapper and producer has received far less money than he is due from online sales of the iconic 1992 album, which also helped launch the career of Snoop Dogg. The ruling does not call for a halt of digital sales of Dre's music, but entitles him to receive 100 percent of the proceeds of online sales. (Associated Press)Following yesterday's ruling, Dre's attorney spoke on his client's win.
"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," Howard King said in a statement. "We are gratified that the federal court has unambiguously declared that Death Row has no right to engage in such tactics, and must hold all proceeds from these illicit distributions in trust for our client." (Statement)Last year, a California judge tossed out Dre's previous claim of Death Row violating his trademark with a Chronic re-release .
On Monday, a California district court tossed his claims that Death Row's release of "The Chronic Re-Lit" violated his rights of trademark and publicity. However, the judge allowed another claim -- that he hasn't been paid royalties since splitting from Death Row in 1996 -- to be heard. In analyzing the case, California District Court Judge Christina Snyder applied the so-called "Monty Python" rule, after a 1976 case where a defendant extensively edited the TV comedy series in order to broadcast it on television. The question was whether the changes to Dr.Dre's album were more than "cosmetic." Snyder ruled the alterations were "minor and inconsequential." She also pointed out that the image used on the cover jacket is the same photograph from the original album, instead of a more current photo, which may have gone further to imply some new endorsement. (ABC News)
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