Diddy News

Sean Combs is the man of a thousand nicknames. Make that a thousand and one.

The rapper otherwise known as Diddy is going to have to dream up another moniker to use in Great Britain after agreeing to drop his current nickname in an out-of-court settlement with an English music producer named Richard "Diddy" Dearlove.

Britain's Diddy sued the American version after the latter changed his stage name four-plus years ago. Combs, who called himself Puffy, then Puff Daddy, then P. Daddy and then P. Diddy before abandoning the P altogether, was targeted in a lawsuit by his namesame across the pond, who claimed the British music market wasn't big enough for two similarly named artists.

"Mr. Combs is an international star who has been known by several artist names over the years," a publicist for the rapper said Monday. "When he learned that Mr. Dearlove objected to him using the name 'Diddy' in the U.K, Mr. Combs agreed to continue to use 'P. Diddy' in that territory and the matter was amicably resolved.

"The damages reported are wholly inaccurate and the request by Dearlove's attorney for legal fees in a case that has been settled is regrettable and is being vigorously contested."

The rep was contesting a report in London's Guardian newspaper that the 36-year-old Combs had agreed to pay the 40-year-old Dearlove $18,000 in damages and more than $180,000 in legal costs, though a High Court judge could alter that figure later.

In his complaint, Dearlove asserted Combs' name change amounted to unfair competition and caused confusion among fans.

"I started getting emails from Puerto Rican girls asking if they could be in my video and people were asking me to look at their clothing line," said the producer, who's been using the Diddy moniker since 1992.

"It doesn't matter how big people become," Dearlove told the Guardian. "This is my name. I've been successful too. I'm not a global megastar, but what I do is valid. I'm really happy and relieved. I didn't want to go to court. It was me versus something enormous and I had a year of stress with legal proceedings hanging over me."

Dearlove, best known for hit remixes of Blondie's "Atomic" and "Heart of Glass," reportedly had been out of work for three years after a head injury temporarily robbed him of his eyesight. He said he felt "gutted" when he originally heard Combs had ditched the "P."

The producer's attorney, Chris Woods, said his client was worried about going up against the Bad Boy mogul in court, but he realized legal action was a necessary "point of principle" when it became clear that Dearlove's commercial interests were being threatened.

"He didn't want to be perceived as chasing money, it's not about getting a payoff," the solicitor told the Guardian.

Combs' peace offering came about a month before the suit had been expected to go to trial.

For now, Dearlove won't be playing the Diddy name game in court. Woods said his client won't be going after the Liverpool-based comedian Ken Dodd and his Diddy Men, or the Nintendo videogame simian Diddy Kong and his Donkey Kong kin.

Aside from the costs of the settlement, Combs must quickly rebrand himself as P. Diddy in the U.K., with his next album, Press Play, due out next month.

No word from Combs' camp on Monday regarding new nicknames, but this isn't the first time he's had naming issues.

The Bad Boy Entertainment overlord decided to ditch Puff Daddy and Puffy four years ago in favor of P. Diddy as part of a massive image overhaul in the wake of his acquittal on gun possession and bribery charges stemming from a 1999 shootout in a Manhattan nightclub. (The gunmen, Combs' protege Shyne, was sentenced to 10 years.)

Last year, Combs nixed the P, declaring it was easier for people to just call him Diddy.

Identity crises aside, the Making the Band maestro just saw his latest brainchild, Danity Kate, debut at number one. Press Play, his first solo studio album in five years, drops Oct. 17.

Combs is also getting ready to be a daddy again. He and his longtime love, Kim Porter, 35, announced last week that they are expecting twins. The couple already have a nine-year-old son, Christian Casey Combs, and the rap impresario has a 12-year-old son, Justin, from a previous relationship.