The battle over
the name "Diddy" continues, as London-based producer Richard "Diddy"
Dearlove has accused Sean "Diddy" Combs of breaching an earlier agreement
that stopped Combs from using the moniker in the United Kingdom. According
to the Associated Press, Dearlove filed a lawsuit in High Court in London
today (Feb. 1) claiming that Combs is in breach of an agreement struck on Sept.
5, 2006, in which the Royal Courts of Justice in London, ended the dispute between
the producer and Combs over the use of the mark “Diddy” within the United
Kingdom. Combs
was ordered to pay Dearlove significant damages, all of his costs of the litigation,
and Combs was barred from using the moniker in the United Kingdom.He
claims that Combs is in breach of the agreement because Combs is still using the
"Diddy" moniker on his myspace.com/diddy page and his YouTube channel.Combs
had already directed British users that visited www.diddy.com to another website
that did not use the "Diddy" namesake, but Dearlove’s lawyer said that
Combs was not able to do the same thing with websites like MySpace, where his
profile has been viewed nearly 10 million times. "We
want him either to use a neutral name like P. Diddy or to shut them down,"
Dearlove’s lawyer Iain Purvis told The Associated Press. "It may be
tough for him, but that is just unfortunate. He has made his bed, he should lie
in it."Dearlove
is seeking an injunction to prevent Combs from using the name on the popular websites.
Dearlove may also seek damages. Dearlove
has produced singles for Blondie, Ultranate, Dolly Parton, Sugababes under the
name "Diddy."
