Taylor Swift is being sued for alleged trademark infringement by a Las Vegas performer.
Maren Wade claims that the branding of Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, threatens to “drown out” her ‘Confessions of a Showgirl’ stage show, Reuters first reported.
The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Monday (March 30), names four defendants: Swift, TAS Rights Management, UMG Recordings, and UMG’s merch company Bravado.
Wade’s brand originated as a column for Las Vegas Weekly beginning in 2014.
That column evolved into a touring stage show featuring what the complaint describes as “candid and often humorous accounts of the challenges and absurdities of a career in the entertainment industry, from getting stuck inside a giant birthday cake to impersonating a Madonna impersonator.”
The complaint says that Wade has held a federal trademark on CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL since 2015.
The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued an initial refusal of Swift’s application to register THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL as a trademark last year, citing potential confusion with Wade’s pre-existing mark. The application was also suspended over a separate conflict with an unrelated trademark filing.
The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s twelfth studio album, was released in October and shattered US sales records, selling 4 million equivalent album units in its first week in the US and 5.5 million globally.
Wade alleges that Swift’s continued use of the name “drowns out” her trademark “until consumers begin to assume that the original is the imitation.”
The complaint states: “What Plaintiff had built over twelve years, Defendants threatened to swallow in weeks.”
According to the filing, Wade is seeking a court order blocking Swift’s use of the branding, along with disgorgement of profits, treble damages, and attorneys’ fees.
Wade’s attorney, Jaymie Parkkinen, told Reuters that they “have great respect for Swift’s talent and success, but trademark law exists to ensure that creators at all levels can protect what they’ve built.”
TMZ reports that Wade’s social media account “seems to be very pro-Taylor,” featuring posts using Swift’s songs and hashtags.
MBW has reached out to UMG and Swift’s representatives for comment.Music Business Worldwide
