Taylor Swift is facing a trademark infringement lawsuit.
The complaint, filed on Monday and obtained by Billboard, is brought by Las Vegas-based performer Maren Wade.
The suit claims Swift’s record-breaking album, The Life of a Showgirl, has eclipsed an existing brand called Confessions of a Showgirl.
Since 2015, Wade has had a trademark on the name Confessions of a Showgirl for a touring cabaret show about the humorous escapades of a modern-day entertainer.
Wade alleges her intellectual property has been trampled by similar phrasing in The Life of a Showgirl, Swift’s mega-successful 12th studio album.
Swift had already tried to trademark the album’s title, but her efforts were rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office due to a “likelihood of confusion” with Wade’s brand.
According to Wade, she’s been the sole victim of the similarity, and the new Swift era has “threatened to swallow” her much smaller business.
Wade is bringing claims for trademark infringement and unfair competition against Swift, her company TAS Rights Management, Universal Music Group, and the label’s merchandise subsidiary, Bravado.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified financial damages and an injunction stopping Swift from selling The Life of a Showgirl consumer products, including clothing, drinkware, candles and hairbrushes.
Wade’s trademark claims focus solely on merch sales related to Swift’s album, not the underlying music itself. The complaint states that she, as a performer, “respects Swift’s right to creative expression”.
