PRESS RELEASE

LONDON DANCE MAN TRIUMPHS OVER HIP HOP GIANT

On 5th September, the Royal Courts of Justice, London, sealed the Order of 1st September 2006, recording the settlement reached which has ended the dispute between London-based producer Richard “Diddy” Dearlove and Hip Hop legend Sean “P. Diddy” Combs over the use of the mark “DIDDY” within the United Kingdom. The matter was to have come on for trial on 23rd October.

For years, Dearlove, pka “Diddy”, had been feted here and abroad for his own hit single Give Me Love and his clever and imaginative club remixes of classic tracks, including his version of Blondie’s Atomic reaching Number 1 in the USA Billboard DANCE chart, in the late ’90s. Then, in August last year, Combs, who used to call himself Puff Daddy and then restyled himself P. Diddy a couple of years ago, decided that henceforth he, too, would be known professionally as “Diddy”.

But, now, Puffy has had to stop. Under the terms of the Order, and a settlement agreement reached between the parties, Combs has had to pay Diddy Dearlove significant damages, all of his costs of the litigation, and will no longer be able to trade in the UK as “Diddy”.  The Order and the settlement vindicates Dearlove’s decision to pursue Puffy through the Courts and ensures that he will, once again, enjoy exclusive rights in the name DIDDY.

Under the terms of the settlement agreement, Combs has given several undertakings to Dearlove, which remain confidential. The settlement will, however, require Mr Combs to rebrand his commercial activities in the UK. Indeed, he has already begun repackaging many of his releases.

The settlement puts another feather in the cap of Diddy Dearlove’s barrister, Tim Ludbrook, who practices from specialist commercial chambers 13 Old Square. Ludbrook, who represented Dearlove throughout the litigation, has in the past represented music clients as diverse as the erstwhile producers of the late Jimmy Hendrix, members of the original ’70s band ‘Blue’, and the former management of Shaun Rider. However, he is perhaps best known for successfully acting for Clare Torry last year in another high profile case - her David and Goliath battle with Pink Floyd and EMI.

Diddy’s solicitor, Chris Woods, of Jens Hills & Co Solicitors, can chalk up the settlement as another success for his firm too. This niche London practice also acted for the original Liberty in their fight with the ‘Pop Idol’ band, which had to rebrand itself Liberty X (the case is now a leading authority on the law of passing off as it applies to artists).

Chris said; “This settlement represents a very satisfying achievement for Richard.  He has only ever been interested in protecting the rights and reputation he has spent over a decade building up and his determination has been vindicated by this settlement. The music industry depends on the ability of individuals to build on a core following and to create and sustain their reputations throughout their career without the threat of being swamped by enormous commercial entities and I am delighted my client has been able to see off such a threat. Richard is very pleased that Mr Combs and he were able to resolve the situation, though we will need to ensure that Mr Combs complies fully with the terms of the Order and the settlement agreement. We wish Diddy every success in his further career.”

Diddy currently has a new single “The Reason” out on promo in the clubs which is getting fantastic reactions and is aiming for a full release in the coming weeks.  More info at www.diddyland.com

JENS HILLS & CO.

Northburgh House, 10 Northburgh Road, London EC1V 0AT