In 2006, hip-hop and fashion mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs launched a cologne with a citrusy scent and risqué marketing campaign – ads showed Combs sitting on a bed with two women – that made it a best-selling fragrance. Combs called it “Unforgivable.”
But an influential glass artist from Pittsfield says a more appropriate name might be “Stolen” and forgiveness isn’t on his mind.
— Glass artist Tom Patti says the Sean John Unforgivable bottle is a copy of two of his glass sculptures, and he’s filed a lawsuit. Read more at Cologne bottle gives artist sense of déjà vu at The Boston Globe.
Pictures of the Tom Patti sculptures can be found here: Compacted Gray With Clear and Ribs and Modulated Solar Airframe.
See also: Nina Ricci to sue makers of Twilight
14 Comments
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Wonder if Creed will sue for copying Millesime Imperial
Thanks for posting the pictures of the art! I see the similarity, but there's a fine line between being inspired by something and flat-out stealing it. This seems a far cry from the Twilight case to me.
But that is not the only fragrance it's accused of copying
It is certainly not as cut & dried as the Twilight case. Will be interesting to see what happens…
While at a Bond No 9 visit about a year or so ago, I mentioned to the SA how I thought that Wall Street smelled just like Diddy's fragrance. She replied by saying that his camp was in and purchased several bottles. I'm just sayin…and u didn't hear it from me!
Yes, but Wall Street is frequently pegged as a variation on Creed Millesime Imperial (see comment above). Luca Turin says MI is a “mini” Green Irish Tweed (also Creed), which was done by Pierre Bourdon, who later went on to make a more successful version of the same theme with Davidoff Cool Water. So, you know — it's all incestuous, isn't it?
Ha, “incestuous”, that's a good way of describing similar scents… especially when they are made by the same perfumer!
I think it's pretty accurate — I mean, it's easy to forget when you're concentrating on the brand names that all of most of these scents are made by the same 5 or 6 fragrance & flavor companies.
I honestly don't think it's that big of a deal.
It's not like Andy Warhol designed the Campbell soup label.
No, but then nor did he pretend he did!
ribbed glass probably existed before Tom Patti
I have ribbed glasses (like glasses you drink out of)
I guess maybe they had a guilty conscious when they named it “Unforgivable” though
what is supposed to look like the Modulated Solar Airframe?
I think it's supposed to combine elements of both sculptures.
But what about Bond's Chez Bond that smells to me JUST like Creed's Green Irish Tweed? Incestuous indeed!
It's all the same to me — I don't like either scent