Photo Credit: Taylor Swift by Ronald Woan / CC by 2.0
Taylor Swift is being sued over The Life of a Showgirl by a former Las Vegas showgirl who owns the trademark for “Confessions of a Showgirl.”
Taylor Swift is facing a lawsuit from an actual showgirl alleging trademark infringement, false designation, and unfair competition over the title of her 2025 album, The Life of a Showgirl. On Monday, a lawsuit was filed in California federal court by Maren Wade, a former Las Vegas showgirl who owns the trademark to “Confessions of a Showgirl.”
Wade is seeking unspecified damages from both Swift and Universal Music Group (UMG), as well as a court order barring the superstar from continuing to use the name of her album. Wade has been using the “Confessions of a Showgirl” brand since she started writing a column in Las Vegas Weekly in 2014. The brand has grown over the past 12 years into a podcast and live musical show.
“Within weeks [of Swift’s album’s release], 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 [Wade] had spent years cultivating,” the complaint read. “What [Wade] had built over 12 years, [Swift] threatened to swallow in weeks.”
Even more damning, the filing cites that when Swift applied to register her The Life of a Showgirl trademark, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declined because they found it was too similar to Wade’s existing trademark. Wade’s lawsuit accuses Swift of ignoring her trademark and undermining her brand, despite the fact that she has been using a similar name since 2014. Now, she says, many people believe she copied the singer’s album title.
“A solo performer who spent 12 years building a brand shouldn’t have to watch it disappear because someone bigger came along,” said Wade’s attorney, Jaymie Parkinnen.
Now, Swift is left with the option of fighting the case in court, or offering to buy out Wade’s claim to the similar name. Taylor Swift is certainly no stranger to litigation, but the nature of this claim could prove interesting. Stay tuned for updates.
Leave a comment