Dr Dre is being sued by GEORGE LUCAS‘ Lucasfilm corporation in one of the first cases of copyright infringement of a sound, according to US reports.
The rap superstar is accused of using a sound called ‘THX Deep Note’, a sound Lucasfilm has trademarked – he claims the first sound ever to be trademarked – without the company’s permission.
The sound, described as a rumbling explosion, is used to accompany the THX logo before film screenings in cinemas kitted out with THX sound systems. Dre used it to open his ‘Dr Dre 2001’ album.
MTV reports that Dre‘s lawyer claims not have received the suit while a spokesperson for Interscope, Dre‘s record label would not comment. Spokespeople at the British wing of his label could not be reached for comment this morning (April 20).
The news comes a day after it emerged Dre was about to bring legal proceedings against the Napster company for their alleged copyright infringement of his material. He has given the MP3 software provider until tomorrow (April 21) to remove his tracks from their bank of music available to those with the Napster software. If they fail to comply he will bring legal action.