Diddy has filed a $25 million lawsuit against his former clothing brand Sean John, alleging that it stole his image.
According to AllHipHop, Sean John created a new collaborative line with women’s clothing retailer Missguided and illegally used Diddy’s image, likeness, and persona without his consent.
“[Diddy] does not challenge [Sean John/GBG’s] right to use the Sean John trademark, but rather [Sean John/GBG’s] decision to leverage a fabricated quote they created and then falsely attributed to Mr. Combs, and to use Mr. Combs’s name and other monikers to create the false and misleading impression that Mr. Combs is the decision-maker behind the designs and creation of the GBG Collection,” Diddy’s lawyer said.
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Diddy’s brand was purchased by Global Brand Groups in 2016, seventeen years after Diddy initially launched the clothing line. In the lawsuit, Diddy said that he never offered them permission to use his name, nor has he used his image to endorse the brand at all.
“[Sean John, GBG and Missguided] are using the Unapproved Material, which contains false or misleading representations of fact, to promote and sell the items in the GBG Collection because they understand that associating it with Mr. Combs will significantly increase sales and profits,” Diddy’s lawyer continued.
Diddy is also entangled in a legal battle with Sean John over the trademark for “Vote or Die.”
He alleged that Sean John and GBG stole the phrase and trademarked it before selling paraphernalia on its website for the recent 2020 election.