Taylor Swift is facing legal action from Las Vegas singer and columnist Maren Wade, who claims Swift’s newest album title infringes on her trademark.
Swift released The Life of a Showgirl in October 2025, featuring tracks such as ‘Opalite’, ‘The Fate of Ophelia’, and ‘Elizabeth Taylor’.
The record quickly took off, and within a month it had surpassed two billion streams on Spotify.
Now, despite its commercial success, Wade has filed a lawsuit alleging trademark infringement connected to the album’s name.
Wade previously trademarked Confessions of a Showgirl in 2015. She began building the brand a year earlier through a column of the same title that recounted her experiences working as a Las Vegas showgirl.
She later adapted that column into both a book and a live show.
Wade’s lawyer, Jaymie Parkkinen, claims that when Swift sought to register a trademark for The Life of a Showgirl, the application was rejected by the the US Patent and Trademark Office because it was deemed ‘confusingly similar’ to Confessions of a Showgirl.
According to reports, the decision focused on the shared ‘of a showgirl’ wording, with concern the similarity could cause consumers to assume the two brands are linked, The Independent reports.
The complaint argues that the likeness is ‘immediate’, stating both names ‘share the same structure, the same dominant phrase, and the same overall commercial impression’.
Per CBS News, the lawsuit also alleges that even after the purported denial, Swift’s team ‘continued using it anyway, expanding it across a coordinated commercial program and distributing it through retail channels reaching millions of consumers’.
The filing further claims Swift did not reach out to Wade about the name and that The Life of a Showgirl weakens Wade’s established brand identity.
Parkkinen said to the news outlet of her client: “She registered it. She earned it. 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.”
Wade is seeking unspecified damages, citing ‘the irreparable harm to her business, reputation, and goodwill’ she says has resulted from the alleged trademark violation.
In addition, she is asking the court to issue an order that would prevent Swift from continuing to use the album title.
Swift’s representatives have been contacted for comment.