When you think about hip-hop fashion in the past 20 years, it's hard not to recognize the impact of Sean John. Diddy's clothing line was pretty much everywhere and anywhere throughout the 2000s until he sold the company. However, the company appears to still be using his likeness to move products and Diddy isn't happy about it.
According to AllHipHop, a lawsuit was filed against the owner of Sean John, GBG USA, for using quotes from Diddy to promo their new line. Diddy filed the $25M lawsuit on allegations that they used Diddy's image, likeness, and persona without permission in the launch of Sean John's new collab line with Missguided.
“[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.
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.
