Diddy Brings Right of Publicity Lawsuit Against Retailers

On February 4, 2021, Hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs filed a right of publicity lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against apparel company Global Brands Group and retailer Misguided. According to the complaint, Global Brands Group created and circulated a number of falsified statements and a 40-second advertisement “using and exploiting Mr. Combs’s name, image, likeness, and persona.”

In the complaint, Combs alleges that Global Brands Group and Misguided are clearly leveraging his persona to create and use “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 profit.” Combs alleges that the companies “have misappropriated the goodwill” he has spent over thirty years developing and used that goodwill without his consent.

Combs also has an ongoing trademark dispute with Global Brands Group. Combs alleges that Global Brands Group is hijacking his “Vote or Die” trademark, associated with his Citizen Change political group, and has urged the USPTO to deny Global Brand Group’s trademark registration application.

Sean Combs is represented by Jonathan D. Davis, Derek A. Williams, and Milton E. Otto of Jonathan D. Davis P.C.

Counsel information for Global Brands Group and Misguided could not immediately be determined.

The case is Sean Combs v. GBG Sean John LLC et al., case number 1:21-cv-00996, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

* Lowe & Associates (“The Firm”) is an entertainment and business law firm located in Beverly Hills, California. The firm has extensive experience handling cases involving publicity/privacy law, having provided top-quality legal services to its clients since 1991. The Firm is recognized for its many achievements, including successfully litigating many high-profile cases.

Find us at our website at www.LoweLaw.com

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