Diddy Faces $10 Million Lawsuit Over “Act Bad” Trademark Allegations

In a legal twist, Sean “Diddy” Combs is reportedly entangled in a $10 million lawsuit filed by Charles Kenyatta Jr, also known as Charlie Cee, who accuses the music mogul of using the trademark “Act Bad” without proper authorization.

According to reports from AllHipHop, court documents allegedly filed by Kenyatta Jr in New York cite Diddy for trademark infringement and breach of contract. Kenyatta is said to be seeking $10 million in damages for the contract tort. However, a thorough court records search conducted by HipHopDX at this time has yielded no evidence of any such legal filing in federal courts.

The United States Patent & Trademark Office confirms that Kenyatta Jr filed the wordmark for “Act Bad” on November 23, 2021. The wordmark is currently live and registered. Additionally, “Act Bad Entertainment,” filed by Kenyatta Jr on September 18, 2021, is still pending examination by USPTO officials. The wordmark specifically covers various clothing goods, including beanies and sweatshirts.

Kenyatta alleges that Diddy infringed upon his “Act Bad” trademark with merchandise released in 2023, coinciding with the release of Diddy’s single of the same name. The lawsuit claims that Diddy’s attorneys ignored emails related to the alleged infringement.

Further details in the alleged lawsuit suggest that Kenyatta Jr did not sign the contract proposed by Diddy due to his incarceration at the time, and any contract should have been forwarded to his Power of Attorney for signing. Kenyatta also contends that the contract contained terms unfavorable to him and that another person’s name had to be removed. The dispute involves a percentage of net profits from the recorded song and music video, as well as a percentage of merchandise sales.

Kenyatta Jr, who served time in federal prison for drug trafficking offenses, posted on Instagram addressing the situation: “For months I sat back quiet. I lost friendships, brotherhood. All over a brand I created. I had a vision bigger than jail and some hood s**t. I did what most dudes in the hood don’t know how to do or forget to do. I trademark and LLC my product.”

Efforts to obtain comments from representatives for Diddy and Charles Kenyatta Jr have been made by HipHopDX, but as of press time, neither party has responded to the inquiries.