Drake's Attempt To Copyright "Certified Lover Boy" Denied: Report

Drake's lawyer attempted to copyright "Certified Lover Boy" ahead of the album's release.

BYAron A.
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Drizzy Drake slid through with one of his better efforts this year with "Laugh Now Cry Later" featuring THE VOICE of the Trenches, Lil Durk. An unexpected pairing, their new single is exactly what fans have anticipated in the lead up to the newly announced follow-up to Scorpion. Drizzy's forthcoming project, Certified Lover Boy, doesn't have a release date just yet but just know, Drake's been plotting on the release before he even dropped Dark Lane Demo Tapes.

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Drake's lawyer Robert Kleinman attempted to secure the copyright for Certified Lover Boy back in February, Complex reports. The application was made for the use of the term for music recordings, TV, movie and live events, and clothing. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office denied the application for "likelihood of confusion" based on two factors. 1) the name is too similar to Lover's Lane, a clothing brand based out of Michigan, that registered the trademark for "Loverboy". The trademark office deemed Drake's album title too close to the clothing brand. 2) The title of Drake's upcoming project could be confused for Canadian rock band Loverboy who've had the trademark for their name since 1984.

“Both parties provide various clothing identical in part and otherwise closely related,” USPTO trademark attorney Tamara Frazier said. 

Despite this, Drake can still put out his album and even drop merch for the project. The copyright simply would've simply served as extra protection in case of any legal disputes. 

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About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.