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Maren Wade is a Las Vegas performer.
Taylor Swift is a world-traveled singer, perhaps the most successful musician on the planet.
But did The Life of a Showgirl infringe upon Wade’s existing trademark?
Swift has a reputation for being litigious about her trademarks. Now, the tables are turned.
‘The Life of a Showgirl’ sounds a whole lot like something else (by coincidence)
On Monday, March 30, singer and columnist Maren Wade filed a lawsuit against Swift.
She alleges that her newspaper column-turned show, Confessions of a Showgirl, has too many similarities to The Life of a Showgirl.
And Confessions came first.
NBC News reports that the complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
“Both share the same structure, the same dominant phrase, and the same overall commercial impression,” the filing accuses.
“Both are used in overlapping markets and are directed at the same consumers,” the filing then claims.
“Maren spent more than a decade building CONFESSIONS OF A SHOWGIRL,” her legal team argues.
“She registered it,” the filing affirms. “She earned it.”
“When Taylor Swift’s team applied to register THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL, the Trademark Office refused,” the filing then asserts.
Allegedly, this is due to the Trademark Office “finding Swift’s mark confusingly similar” to Wade’s.
‘Confessions of a Showgirl’ has been around for a dozen years
In 2014, Wade launched her weekly column about life in the entertainment industry.
Since then, her Las Vegas Weekly column has taken on new forms: a podcast and a life cabaret show.
(Yes, there’s a short clip below.)
She trademarked her Confessions of a Showgirl branding in 2015.
According to the lawsuit, the Patent and Trademark Office cautioned Swift’s team that The Life of a Showgirl might be confused with an existing trademark. Seemingly, the warning went unheeded.
Swift is one of the planet’s biggest stars in any medium.
As such, Wade’s team argues, her “overwhelming commercial presence” is more than up to the task of diluting or overshadowing Wade’s preexisting brand.
To be blunt, someone seeing Wade’s trademark might simply assume that it is a spoof on Swift’s album and song.
“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,” the filing reads. “That’s what this case is about.”
The lawsuit seeks to have Swift stop using The Life of a Showgirl as a brand on products and services … and to turn over all profits from that branding over to Wade.
It feels like this will either be over quickly or drag on forever
Wade is asking for a jury trial. She is also seeking further monetary compensation.
Not being legal scholars or trademark experts, we honestly cannot say what the end result of this lawsuit is.
It is possible that Wade would accept a settlement that is less than the certainly many millions that Swift has raked in under the The Life of a Showgirl brand.
Just the same, it is also possible that this could be a grueling legal battle that lasts for years.
One thing that we do know is that Wade appears to be a Swiftie. She’s posted about her fondness for Swift for years. So she’s not coming at this as a hater.
