Diddy has reportedly entered his second legal battle with Sean John, accusing the brand and its owner, GBG USA, for falsely attributing a quote to him to promote a new clothing line in a $25 million lawsuit.
AllHipHop reports that his complaint, which was filed in Manhattan on Thursday, says that 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 launched Sean John in 1998 and later sold it to Global Brands Group in 2016. He claims that he never endorsed the line, nor did he give Sean John, Missguided and GBG permission to use his name. However, the companies concocted some quotes to make it appear as if he was connected to the new Sean John x Missguided brand.
“[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 Jonathan D. Davis said.
Additionally, Diddy says that the brands used his image in a short ad campaign video to advertise the new line. “[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 Jonathan Davis added.
Last month, Diddy reportedly filed his first lawsuit against Sean John over the trademark for the phrase “Vote Or Die.” He alleges that Sean John and GBG have illegally used and trademarked the phrase and was selling merchandise bearing the slogan during the presidential election.
