Battle of a Showgirl: Taylor Swift sued for trademark infringement by ‘America’s Got Talent’ performer
Taylor Swift has been sued for trademark infringement by a former America’s Got Talent performer over the title of her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl.
Maren Wade, an ex-contestant on the US talent show, is suing Swift and her record label UMG Recordings to seek damages and to stop the ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ singer from using the name of her latest album, released last October.
Wade began writing a column called Confessions of a Showgirl for Las Vegas Weekly in 2014, which she has now expanded into a brand including a podcast and various live shows, with her trademark covering these performances, TV, and other assets.
As such, she is suing Swift for trademark infringement and damages over the name, as “A solo performer who spent 12 years building a brand shouldn’t have to watch it disappear because someone bigger came along,” her lawyer, Jaymie Parkinnen, said in a statement (per The Hollywood Reporter).
In a California lawsuit filed on March 30th, Wade has brought claims of trademark infringement, false designation and unfair competition against Swift and UMG Recordings.
Court documents of Wade’s complaint say that Swift’s team did not release The Life of a Showgirl “quietly”, before adding, “Within weeks, the designation was affixed to consumer goods, stamped onto labels, tags, and packaging, and deployed as a source identifier across retail channels — all directed at the same audience Plaintiff had spent years cultivating.”
To this end, the lawsuit alleges Swift’s attempt to register The Life of a Showgirl was declined by the US Patent and Trademark Office as the key phrase “of a Showgirl” was too similar to Wade’s trademark, and would likely suggest a false connection to audiences.
Wade says that the status of her brand has been diminished because of Swift, with court documents adding, “The continued erosion of that mark threatens the entirety of” the Confessions of a Showgirl name.
Swift has not yet publicly commented on the lawsuit, but she would have the option of either buying out the claim from Wade or taking the case to court.
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