On March 30 local time, Maren Wade, a singer and columnist from Las Vegas, filed a lawsuit against renowned singer Taylor Swift in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleging that the promotion and merchandising of Swift’s latest album, *The Life of a Showgirl*, infringed upon the plaintiff’s “Showgirl” trademark rights, which she has held for over a decade. Previously, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office had preliminarily rejected Swift’s registration application during the trademark examination process, finding that it bore a likelihood of confusion with the prior trademark.

In the complaint, Maren Wade states that she launched the “Confessions of a Showgirl” column in *Las Vegas Weekly* in 2014, subsequently expanding the brand to include a podcast and live cabaret performances, and completed the trademark registration in 2015. The complaint notes that when Swift’s team applied to register “The Life of a Showgirl,” they received an examination report from the Trademark Office stating that the name was confusingly similar to Wade’s registered trademark in terms of structure, core phrases, and commercial impression; however, Swift’s team “continued to use it without contacting the plaintiff.”

Wade’s legal counsel stated in a declaration: “Maren spent over a decade building and registering this brand. When Swift’s team applied to register a similar trademark, the Trademark Office explicitly rejected it, deeming it likely to cause confusion.” The complaint further emphasizes that due to Swift’s “overwhelming commercial influence,” consumers might mistakenly believe that the plaintiff’s brand is a later imitation of Swift’s work.

The plaintiff is seeking a permanent injunction against Swift and her affiliated companies from using the phrase “The Life of a Showgirl” in connection with goods or services, and is demanding the return of all profits derived from the infringement under the brand, as well as a jury trial and additional monetary damages. As of press time, neither Swift’s representatives nor Universal Music Group have commented on the matter.