Taylor Swift is being sued for alleged trademark infringement by a Las Vegas performer.<\/p>\n
Maren Wade claims that\u00a0the branding of Swift\u2019s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, threatens to \u201cdrown out\u201d her \u2018Confessions of a Showgirl\u2019 stage show, Reuters<\/a> first reported.<\/p>\n The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Monday (March 30), names four defendants: Swift, TAS Rights Management, UMG<\/a> Recordings, and UMG\u2019s merch company Bravado<\/a>.<\/p>\n Wade\u2019s brand originated as a column for Las Vegas Weekly beginning in 2014.<\/p>\n That column evolved into a touring stage show featuring what the complaint describes as \u201ccandid and often humorous accounts of the challenges and absurdities of a career in the entertainment industry, from getting stuck inside a giant birthday cake to impersonating a Madonna impersonator.\u201d<\/p>\n The complaint says that Wade has held a federal trademark on CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL since 2015.<\/p>\n The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued<\/a> an initial refusal of Swift\u2019s application to register THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL as a trademark last year, citing potential confusion with Wade\u2019s pre-existing mark. The application was also suspended over a separate conflict with an unrelated trademark filing.<\/p>\n