Swift sued over album title

Taylor Swift is facing a federal trademark lawsuit over *The Life of a Showgirl*, with a Las Vegas performer claiming the album title infringes her registered brand. (apnews.com) The plaintiff is Maren Flagg, who performs as Maren Wade, and the suit was filed on March 30, 2026, in federal court in Los Angeles. The complaint also names Universal Music Group and Bravado International Group Merchandising Services, alongside Swift. (abcnews.com) Wade says she has used “Confessions of a Showgirl” since 2014 for a Las Vegas Weekly column, a live show, and a touring production. The United States Patent and Trademark Office database shows that mark was registered in 2015 under classes tied to printed entertainment columns and entertainment services. (abcnews.com) (tmsearch.uspto.gov) Trademark cases like this turn on consumer confusion, not on whether two titles are identical. Wade argues that “Confessions of a Showgirl” and “The Life of a Showgirl” share the same structure and commercial impression, and that Swift’s release reached the same entertainment audience she had built for years. (abcnews.com) The dispute grew sharper before the lawsuit was filed. In March 2026, *USA Today* reported that the United States Patent and Trademark Office had suspended an application filed by Swift’s company, TAS Rights Management, to register “The Life of a Showgirl.” (usatoday.com) Wade’s lawsuit says that refusal put Swift’s team on notice that the name could conflict with an existing mark. Swift released *The Life of a Showgirl* in October 2025, and Wade says the title was then used across merchandise, labels, tags, and packaging. (abcnews.com) The case is not only about the album name. On April 7, 2026, Wade asked a judge for an immediate injunction to stop sales of merchandise tied to *The Life of a Showgirl* while the case moves forward. (billboard.com) Billboard reported that Wade’s filing says Swift’s album moved 4 million units in its first week and that the scale of the release is overwhelming her smaller brand. Her lawyers argue the damage is not just lost sales but the loss of Wade’s ability to be recognized as the source of her own “showgirl” brand. (billboard.com) Swift’s side had not publicly responded in the reports available as of April 13, 2026. The next fight is likely to center on whether Wade can convince a judge that the overlap is causing immediate harm before the full trademark case is decided. (billboard.com)