Overview
- Maren Wade filed a federal complaint in California on Monday naming Taylor Swift, TAS Rights Management, UMG, and Bravado, seeking an injunction and damages.
- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office previously refused or suspended Swift’s bid to register “The Life of a Showgirl” for live entertainment because of likely confusion with Wade’s mark.
- The complaint says Swift’s team quickly put the phrase on merchandise and retail channels, which Wade argues could cause “reverse confusion” that drowns out her brand.
- Wade’s “Confessions of a Showgirl” began as a 2014 Las Vegas Weekly column, expanded into a podcast and live show, and the 2015 federal trademark has since reached incontestable status.
- Swift and UMG have not commented, and the next steps include the defendants’ formal responses, possible early motions or settlement talks, and continued USPTO review on the paused application.