In a complaint filed on March 30 and obtained by PEOPLE, Maren Wade (real name Maren Flagg) claimed that both phrases \u201cshare the same structure, the same dominant phrase, and the same overall commercial impression.” Wade noted that she has used the title for cabaret shows, a podcast and a newspaper column.<\/p>\n
“Both are used in overlapping markets and are directed at the same consumers,” the suit claims.<\/p>\n
Wade alleged that Swift’s album sales were harming her businesses.<\/p>\n
“Each additional sale compounds the confusion in the marketplace and further erodes [Wade’s] ability to be recognized as the soul source of her\u00a0Confessions of a Showgirl\u00a0brand,” the suit claimed.<\/p>\n
At the time, Wade requested a preliminary injunction that would immediately prevent Swift, 36, from using the “The Life of a Showgirl” brand.<\/p>\n
In a statement shared with CBS News<\/a> on March 31, Wade’s attorney, Jaymie Parkkinen, claimed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office allegedly denied Swift’s application to register her own trademark for being “confusingly similar” to Wade’s existing one.<\/p>\n “She registered it. She earned it,” said Parkkinen. “We have great respect for Swift’s talent and success, but trademark law exists to ensure that creators at all levels can protect what they’ve built. That’s what this case is about.”<\/p>\n Swift’s attorneys issued a brief on Wednesday, May 6, which was obtained by PEOPLE, calling Wade’s claims “meritless.”<\/p>\n “This motion, just like Maren Flagg’s lawsuit, should never have been filed,” Swift’s lawyers write. “It is simply Ms. Flagg’s latest attempt to use Taylor Swift’s name and intellectual property to prop up her brand, and it fails every single step of the preliminary injunction inquiry.”<\/p>\n The brief claims that Wade “attempts to broadly lump her cabaret show and defendants’ musical album together as \u2018entertainment services.'”<\/p>\n “That comparison is absurd,\u201d the “Opalite” singer’s attorneys continue, noting that there would be minimal confusion between Swift’s stadium shows and Wade’s cabaret performances, where she “performs, if at all, in small intimate venues, such as a: ’55+ active community,’ ’55+ golf resort’; \u2018RV & Golf Resort’; ’90 seat cabaret-style venue’ that offers dinner; hotel; and private supper club.”<\/p>\n “Her website lists no upcoming performances,” Swift’s attorneys allege, also noting that Wade’s blog has not been updated since 2021.<\/p>\n The brief claims that Wade initially tried to associate herself with “The Life of a Showgirl” before filing the lawsuit.<\/p>\n “Prior to the album announcement, plaintiff had never used \u2018the life of a showgirl’ in her social media promotion,” claim Swift’s lawyers. “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.”<\/p>\n They further claim that Wade “spent several months centering her brand on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’s’ name, artwork, music, and lyrics to promote her little-known cabaret show.”<\/p>\n “In fact, a mere four days after Ms. Swift announced her album title and artwork in August 2025, Ms. Flagg announced a brand-new podcast mimicking Ms. Swift’s album artwork, logo, title, and taglines. Then, plaintiff flooded her Instagram and TikTok pages with 40+ advertisements for her brand using Ms. Swift’s music, trademarks, and other intellectual property without permission,” Swift’s attorneys claim.<\/p>\n Taylor Swift Parkkinen shared a statement with PEOPLE on Friday, May 8 saying that his client wasn’t backing down from the lawsuit.<\/p>\n “We have read Defendants’ papers,” he wrote over email. “The federal Trademark Office refused [the] defendants’ mark, and rather than engage that finding, defendants argue about, well, almost anything else. We file our response next week.”<\/p>\n PEOPLE has reached out to Swift’s attorneys for comment.<\/p>\n Swift released The Life of a Showgirl in October. It sold 4 million first-week units and became the 14-time Grammy winner’s 15th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 albums chart, breaking out of a tie with Drake<\/a> and Jay-Z <\/a>for the most number one albums among soloists, per Billboard<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/878ed0970c34a615958e56dbdb4722ca.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggot<\/p>\n