Taylor Swift's lawyers have responded to a lawsuit from a former Las Vegas showgirl who owns the trademark to 'Confessions of a Showgirl,' claiming that the suggestion anyone would confuse the brand with Swift's 2025 album 'The Life of a Showgirl' is 'absurd.'
Background of the Lawsuit
In March, Maren Wade, whose real name is Maren Flagg, filed the lawsuit in California, alleging trademark infringement, false designation, and unfair competition. She is seeking unspecified damages from Swift and UMG Recordings, as well as a court order that would bar the pop star from continuing to use the album title.
Swift's Legal Response
In response to an injunction that would have immediately stopped Swift from using her album title, Swift's lawyer filed a response seen by Variety. The response states: 'This motion, just like Maren Flagg’s lawsuit, should never have been filed. It is simply Ms. Flagg’s latest attempt to use Taylor Swift’s name and intellectual property to prop up her brand.' It continues: 'Plaintiff attempts to broadly lump her cabaret show and defendants’ musical album together as “entertainment services.” That comparison is absurd.'
Swift's lawyers further argue that the former showgirl has herself been attempting to link the two brands. They wrote: 'Since the album announcement, plaintiff has reframed her brand around the album, flooding her social media accounts with posts attempting to align herself with Ms. Swift and the album.' They added: 'Prior to the album announcement, plaintiff had never used “the life of a showgirl” in her social media promotion. Following the announcement, plaintiff used the phrase or posted generally about Ms. Swift or the album over 40 times on her branded Instagram and TikTok accounts.'
Maren Wade's Background
Wade sang on America's Got Talent in 2014, the same year she started writing a column in the Las Vegas Weekly titled 'Confessions of a Showgirl.' The column featured Wade's reflections on her experiences as a Vegas showgirl, and she has since grown the brand into a podcast and live musical show. According to the filing, Wade's trademark covers live stage performances, theatrical productions, and television.
Initial Filing and USPTO Ruling
In her original filing, Wade's lawyers stated that when Swift applied to register 'The Life of a Showgirl' as her own trademark, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declined because it ruled that it was confusingly similar to Wade's existing trademark. Their decision hinged on the phrase 'of a Showgirl' and found that both trademarks referring to musical and theatrical performances would likely cause consumers to mistakenly believe the two brands are connected.
In the initial lawsuit, Wade accused Swift of ignoring her trademark and stated that her brand has been undermined, as despite using the name since 2014, many now believe she copied the singer's album title. The filing states: 'The continued erosion of that mark threatens the entirety of' Wade's brand.
The Independent has approached Swift and Wade for comment.
