Taylor Swift, UMG Accused of Infringing ‘Showgirl’ Trademark (2)

Taylor Swift and UMG Recordings Inc. infringe a Las Vegas performer’s “Confessions of a Showgirl” trademark, according to a new lawsuit.

The similarity between “Confessions of a Showgirl” and Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” album title is “immediate” and confusing to consumers, according to the complaint filed Monday by Maren Wade in the US District Court for the Central District of California. The lawsuit seeks to bar Swift from using the title.

As a performer herself, Wade—whose legal name is Maren Flagg—"respects Taylor Swift’s right to creative expression, and nothing in this action challenges it,” the complaint said, “but what Defendants did here was not expression—it is infringing trademark use.”

Reached for comment, UMG directed inquiries to Swift’s representative, Tree Paine. Paine didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Wade said she first began using the “Showgirl” mark in 2014 to write about her life for Las Vegas Weekly, later expanding the column into a touring live show. She registered “Confessions of a Showgirl” at the US Patent and Trademark Office in 2015 for entertainment services.

The lawsuit says the scale of Swift’s infringement “threatens to erase Plaintiff from her very own brand.”

Swift and UMG were aware of Wade’s rights because the PTO refused to register Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” trademark because it’s confusingly similar to Wade’s, according to the complaint.

As a “vigorous” enforcer of trademark law, Swift is aware of the harm infringement can have on a brand, the complaint said. Wade pointed to the more than 170 active and pending trademark registrations owned by Swift’s intellectual property management company, TAS Rights Management LLC, which is also named as a defendant.

Wade also seeks monetary damages and a court order requiring Swift, UMG, TAS, and manufacturer Bravado International Group Merchandising Services Inc. to permanently discontinue using “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Jaymie Parkkinen of Santa Monica, Calif., represents Wade.

The case is Flagg v. Swift, C.D. Cal., No. 26-cv-03354, 3/30/26.