Eminem has found himself in an unlikely battle: one over retail, not rap.
The Detroit Free Press reports that fashion designer Clement Brown of the Three Thirteen shop is trying to block Eminem's trademark request for his apparel line, E13.
Brown has held a trademark for his Three Thirteen brand since 2010, and the rapper born Marshall Mathers filed his pending request last year.
Eminem's clothing line logo turns the "E" backward so it appears as the number three, creating the visual effect of Detroit's area code, 313.
Brown says the battle over hometown intellectual property claims isn't personal and that he respects Eminem.
But he says it's "imperative that we have ownership of our creations."
Eminem's attorney, Barbara Friedman, says the rapper will defend his trademark request.
