Diddy Reportedly Plans $1 Billion Legal Battle With Netflix Over 50 Cent’s Docuseries

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It has been a little more than a week since Sean Combs: The Reckoning arrived on Netflix. Reports now claim that the music mogul is already preparing a response. Media Take Out states exclusively that Diddy and his relatives are allegedly putting together a large defamation lawsuit directed at the streaming service because of the 50 Cent produced docuseries.

“One purpose of this documentary was to destroy his reputation. This is not journalism, it is entertainment,” one insider claims. The report says Diddy has brought on one of the most influential law firms in the country and that he intends to pursue at least one billion dollars in damages. The source also claims that the requested amount may increase if Netflix does not retract specific allegations.

This new development is not unexpected. Diddy’s team has already spoken clearly about how they feel regarding the project.

“Netflix’s so called ‘documentary’ is a shameful hit piece. Today’s GMA teaser confirms that Netflix relied on stolen footage that was never authorized for release,” they stated in comments shared with The Hollywood Reporter earlier this month. “As Netflix and CEO Ted Sarandos know, Mr. Combs has been gathering footage since he was nineteen in order to tell his own story in his own voice. It is completely unfair and unlawful for Netflix to take that material and use it without permission.”

50 Cent Diddy Documentary

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Sean Combs, photographed in his NYC studio in 2001.
 

“It is just as astonishing that Netflix turned over creative authority to Curtis ‘50 Cent’ Jackson, a longtime rival with a personal motive who has devoted far too many years to speaking poorly about Mr. Combs,” Diddy’s representatives continued. “Putting the legal concerns aside, this is also a violation of personal trust. Mr. Combs has held deep respect for Ted Sarandos and has admired the legacy of Clarence Avant, the father in law of Sarandos who has passed away.”

“For Netflix to hand his life story to someone who has openly criticized him for so long feels unnecessary and deeply personal,” they finished. “At the very least, he believed he would be treated fairly by people he admired.”

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Red Hot Chili Peppers Land Over $300 Million From Catalog Sale

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The Red Hot Chili Peppers have reportedly sold their recorded music catalog to Warner Music Group in a massive deal valued at more than $300 million.

The agreement arrives five years after the legendary rock band sold their publishing rights in a separate deal worth around $150 million. According to reports from The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard, the band’s recorded catalog, which includes 13 studio albums and nine releases distributed through Warner Music Group, was officially acquired on Friday for more than double the amount of the earlier publishing sale.

The acquisition is said to be part of a much larger partnership between Warner Music Group and Bain Capital. Together, the companies have reportedly spent around $650 million acquiring music and publishing assets, with the Red Hot Chili Peppers catalog making up nearly half of that total. Details regarding the remaining acquisitions have not yet been disclosed.

Back in May 2021, the Red Hot Chili Peppers sold their publishing rights to Hipgnosis Songs Fund for approximately $150 million. However, according to The Hollywood Reporter, those rights could soon change hands again as Hipgnosis, now operating under the name Recognition Music Group, is currently being acquired by Sony Music as part of another multi billion dollar transaction.

The band’s recorded catalog had reportedly been available on the market since last year with an asking price close to $350 million. Warner Music Group was widely viewed as the most natural buyer considering the label has worked with the band since the release of 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik. Before joining Warner, the group’s first four albums were released through EMI.

Financially, the catalog remains extremely valuable, reportedly generating around $26 million in annual revenue. Ownership of the recordings had remained with the band prior to this latest agreement.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers most recently released Unlimited Love and its companion album Return of the Dream Canteen in 2022. At the time of reporting, neither the band nor Warner Music Group had publicly commented on the catalog acquisition.

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