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How would you like it if a world-famous rap star adopted your nickname as his own? Well, Richard Dearlove doesn't like it one bit.
Richard "Diddy" Dearlove had been flaunting his Diddiness since 1992 - about 14 years before Sean Combs decided to take on the name. But before we go into his current issues, let's take a quick tour of Sean's name-sploration. Born "Sean Jean Combs," Sean has gone through a plethora of names, including Sean 'Puffy' Combs, Puffy Combs, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and the latest - just "Diddy." That's a lot of business card reprints. We're not sure what has forced all the previous name changes, though we've learned that "Puffy" ruffled some feathers in Japan. Anyhow, Combs' problems with names seem to be related to what a lot of small businesses encounter when naming - a lack of research. Naming companies and legal teams usually spend weeks or months ensuring that there is no conflict when the new name is released (or they confirm the battle is one they can win - or gain publicity from.) We're guessing that Combs had no clue that Diddy was already being used in the UK - and he certainly wasn't trying to get the negative press assicated with him backing down from using the moniker over there. The chosen solution wasn't announced, but we're guessing that the settlement will involve the use of one of the other names Combs has used over the years. So, while he'll be Diddy everywhere else, Mr. Combs will be "P. Diddy" in England. Mr. Dearlove is apparently happy enough with the situation to go along with it (the approximately $200K in damages and legal fees might have something to do with it.) Really, though, the only reason we wrote about this today was to see how sensationalist we could get with the blog title. Sometimes our immaturity knows no bounds. Tate Linden Principal Thingdizzle Name-izzler Stokefire Consulting Group 703-778-9925 |
