Swift’s registration of “The Life of a Showgirl” had reportedly been rejected by the US patent office
Las Vegas singer, television host, and columnist Maren Wade has filed a trademark suit against pop icon Taylor Swift over the title of Swift’s 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the suit claims that Swift’s album title is too similar to the title of Wade’s Las Vegas Weekly column, entitled “Confessions of a Showgirl.” Billboard noted that in addition to trademark infringement, the suit accuses Swift, her company TAS Rights Management, Universal Music Group, and UMG’s merch subsidiary Bravado of false designation and unfair competition.
Wade is seeking unspecified damages and a court order prohibiting Swift from continuing to use “The Life of a Showgirl.”
“A solo performer who spent twelve years building a brand shouldn’t have to watch it disappear because someone bigger came along,” said Jaymie Parkkinen, who is on Wade’s legal team, in a statement published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Wade began writing the “Confessions of a Showgirl” column in 2014; in the column, she discusses her experiences in the entertainment industry. “Confessions of a Showgirl” has since expanded into a podcast and a live show, and its trademark includes live stage performances, theatrical productions, and television.
Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” was released last year, and the suit alleges that when Swift sought to trademark the album title, the US Patent and Trademark Office rejected her application because it was similar to the point of causing confusion with “Confessions of a Showgirl.” The office reportedly said that both titles shared the phrase “of a Showgirl” and would be used in an entertainment context covering musical and theatrical performances; this was likely to mislead consumers into thinking the properties were linked.
The suit indicated that after Swift pushed through with her title, “The Life of a Showgirl” appeared on consumer goods, labels, tags, and packaging. It was also “deployed as a source identifier across retail channels — all directed at the same audience plaintiff had spent years cultivating,” per a snippet of the suit published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Wade claimed that the title had already sparked confusion among consumers; however, she was the one on the losing end given Swift’s “substantially greater commercial scale” risked smothering Wade’s smaller presence.
“As a solo performer operating in the same entertainment space, she found herself having to navigate the wave of consumer attention defendants’ program had generated and attempting to maintain her presence in a conversation and a marketplace that defendants had overtaken,” the suit said in a snippet published by Billboard.
Nonetheless, Wade indicated in the suit that as a fellow performer, she “respects Taylor Swift’s right to creative expression, and nothing in this action challenges it,” according to a snippet published by Billboard. Wade’s complaints concentrated specifically on merch sales connected to “The Life of a Showgirl” and did not touch on Swift’s music.
Wade filed her suit in California federal court on Monday March 30. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Swift declined to comment. Billboard indicated that Swift’s representation did not immediately return a request for comment on Monday while a UMG spokesperson declined to comment.
