Taylor Swift's lawyers call Vegas showgirl's lawsuit against singer 'absurd'
What's the story
Taylor Swift's legal team has hit back at a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Las Vegas showgirl Maren Flagg (aka Maren Wade). The suit claims that the title of Swift's album, The Life of a Showgirl, infringes on Flagg's trademarked phrase Confessions of a Showgirl. In response, Swift's lawyers said, "That comparison is absurd," and added that the motion "should never have been filed."
Legal response
Swift's attorneys argue Flagg 'reframed her brand'
Swift's attorneys argued, "plaintiff attempts to broadly lump her cabaret show and defendants' musical album together as 'entertainment services.' That comparison is absurd." They also questioned Flagg's request for immediate relief on the basis of irreparable harm, given that she filed the lawsuit eight months after Swift announced her album. The lawyers said, "Since the album announcement, plaintiff has reframed her brand around the album."
Counterclaims
Accusations of Flagg using Swift's imagery to promote her show
Swift's lawyers have accused Flagg of using her music and imagery to promote her own cabaret show. They claim Flagg had flooded "her social media accounts with posts attempting to align herself with Ms. Swift and the album." The attorneys argue that each of these advertisements constitutes "actionable infringement." They also highlighted how Flagg announced a new podcast mimicking Swift's album artwork just four days after the album announcement in August 2025.
First Amendment defense
First Amendment protects Swift's album title
Swift's lawyers say the album title is protected by the First Amendment. They cited Lost Int'l, LLC v. Germanotta to support their argument. The latter case involved Lady Gaga being accused of appropriating her Mayhem album title and logo by a surfboard company. Swift's team said, "if a work is expressive...a plaintiff cannot establish infringement without showing the title...is either not artistically relevant to the underlying work; or...explicitly misleads as to the source or content of the work."
Counterargument
Flagg claimed that album sales eroded her brand recognition
In her lawsuit, Flagg claimed that Swift's album sales have seriously harmed her business efforts. She argued that each additional sale compounds the confusion in the marketplace and further erodes her ability to be recognized as the sole source of her Confessions of a Showgirl brand. Her attorney Jaymie Parkkinen earlier told Rolling Stone, "When Taylor Swift's team applied to register The Life of a Showgirl, the Trademark Office refused," citing a conflict with Flagg's existing mark.