Taylor Swift Sued by Las Vegas Performer Over ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Trademark Dispute

Maren Wade claims the superstar’s chart-topping 2025 album threatens to “drown out” her long-running ‘Confessions of a Showgirl’ stage show and column.

NASHVILLE/LAS VEGAS – Taylor Swift is facing a trademark infringement lawsuit from a Las Vegas entertainer who alleges the pop icon’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, illegally encroaches on a brand she has built for more than a decade.

Maren Wade, a performer and writer, filed the complaint on Monday in a federal court, arguing that marketing for Swift’s 12th studio album creates consumer confusion and risks overwhelming her established stage show, Confessions of a Showgirl.

According to the suit, Wade began writing her Confessions of a Showgirl column for Las Vegas Weekly in 2014, later developing it into a touring theatrical production. The show is described as featuring “candid and often humorous accounts of the challenges and absurdities of a career in the entertainment industry – from getting stuck inside a giant birthday cake to impersonating a Madonna impersonator.”

Wade’s legal team points out that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) already rejected Swift’s application for a federal trademark on Life of a Showgirl last year, citing the likelihood of confusion with Wade’s pre-existing registration. Despite that ruling, Swift and her label, Universal Music Group (also named as a defendant), proceeded with the album’s release in October.

The Life of a Showgirl went on to shatter Spotify streaming records and became the best-selling album of 2025.

“What plaintiff had built over twelve years, defendants threatened to swallow in weeks,” the complaint states. Wade alleges that Swift’s continued use of the similar name “drowns out” her trademark “until consumers begin to assume that the original is the imitation.”

Wade is seeking a court order to block Swift from using the “Showgirl” brand in connection with live performances and entertainment services, as well as unspecified monetary damages.

Spokespeople for Swift and Universal Music Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

However, Wade’s attorney, Jaymie Parkkinen, said: “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.”