A Diddy and his MySpace page may soon be parted.
London-based record producer Richard "Diddy" Dearlove has again taken legal action against Sean "Diddy" Combs, alleging that the rap mogul breached the terms of an out-of-court settlement barring him from using their shared nickname in the United Kingdom.
Dearlove first sued Combs last year, alleging that he had been using the Diddy name since 1992, while Combs only began identifying himself by the moniker in August 2005.
Before appropriating just plain Diddy as his stage name, Combs was known as Puff Daddy, Puffy and, most recently, P. Diddy.
Though Combs agreed in September to resume using his former alias of P. Diddy when attending to his European affairs, Dearlove claims he has violated the agreement by identifying himself as Diddy on his MySpace and YouTube pages, which can be viewed by international users.
Dearlove's attorney, Iain Purvis, said his client either wants Combs to start using a "neutral name" in his online profiles, or to stop using the social networking sites altogether.
"It may be tough for him, but that is just unfortunate," Purvis said in London's High Court on Thursday. "He has made his bed, he should lie in it."
Though Combs modified his official Website, diddy.com, so it automatically redirects British visitors to a page where he does not use the Diddy name, he has not made the same changes to his MySpace and YouTube pages because the sites are not under his control, Purvis said.
Comb's MySpace page does, however, display a British flag banner across the top, reading "UK Users Must Click Here." Those who click the banner are redirected to an alternate profile at myspace.com/pdiddy that was registered on Jan. 16.
A similar message on his YouTube channel, youtube.com/diddytv, orders British visitors to access the content through youtube.com/pdiddy, an account that was set up earlier this week.
Internet statistics showed that almost 10 million visitors have accessed the rap mogul's profile at www.myspace.com/diddy to date, while only 27,700 have visited the P. Diddy page. Meanwhile, his main YouTube page had recorded more than 350,000 viewers, while the U.K. edition had logged a paltry 19 views in the three days since it was established.
It was unclear how many British Web surfers may have elected to ignore the directions steering them to the modified profiles.
If the judge rules that Combs has indeed breached the terms of his agreement with Dearlove, the producer will ask for an injunction preventing him from continuing to do so, and could potentially seek damages in the case.
Dearlove, who maintains his own Web presence at diddyland.com, is best known for his '90s remix of Blondie's "Atomic," which reached number one on the Billboard dance charts.