Lawsuit of the Day: Diddy or Didn't He?

Over the years, rap impresario Sean Combs has tried on monikers like designer sneakers. He’s gone by “Puffy,” “Puff Daddy” (our personal favorite), “P. Diddy,” and, most recently, “Diddy.”
But on the other side of the pond, Sean Combs will have to find another nonsensical name to call himself. From the BBC:

Rap star Sean Combs is no longer to be called “Diddy” in the UK after he agreed a settlement with a music producer already known by that name.

The rapper, also known as Puff Daddy and Puffy, agreed to pay more than £110,000 to settle out of court with Richard “Diddy” Dearlove.

Dearlove, best known for his dance remix of the Blondie hit Atomic, had used the name since 1992.

As the AP explains, Richard “Diddy” Dearlove had sued Combs for unfair competition, claiming that the naming confusion was causing him harm:

“I started getting e-mails from Puerto Rican girls asking if they could be in my video and people were asking me to look at their clothing line,” Dearlove was quoted as saying by The Guardian newspaper.

So why exactly did Dearlove sue? Most other music producers would kill for problems like that.
Boricua, morena, boricua, morena…
Rap star loses Diddy name rights [BBC News]
Diddy Can’t Be Diddy in Britain [Associated Press]
(Gavel bang: How Appealing)

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