Taylor Swift ‘Life of a Showgirl’ lawsuit faces major turn amid ‘The Encore’ release
Taylor Swift will release ‘The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore’ on September 25, 2026
Taylor Swift’s lawyers have called Maren Wade’s trademark infringement lawsuit against the singer’s The Life Of A Showgirl album “nonsensical.”
The popstar was sued last March by Wade, a former Las Vegas showgirl, for allegedly disregarding Wade’s claim to a similar name.
Wade writes a Las Vegas Weekly column called Confessions Of A Showgirl about her experiences as a performer in the entertainment industry; it has since become a podcast and a live show.
The original suit accused Swift of using her album title on merchandise and consumer goods, “all directed at the same audience Plaintiff had spent years cultivating”.
It added that Swift’s initial application to register The Life Of A Showgirl was denied by the US Patent and Trademark Office declined over its confusion to Wade’s column.
Wade seeks unspecified damages and a court order barring the singer from continuing to use the name of her chart-topping album.
At first, Swift’s legal team said that Wade’s request infringes on the First Amendment, adding that it was “undisputed” that the album is “a classic expressive work” and thus entitled to legal protections.
“Plaintiff’s overarching assertion that consumers are – or could be – confused into believing that Ms. Swift, a 14-time Grammy Award winner and global musical icon, is the source of or is associated with plaintiff’s podcast, book, or live cabaret performances at golf resorts and RV parks is nonsensical,” Swift’s lawyers wrote, as per Rolling Stone.
They added that the confusion between Swift’s album and Wade’s brand were “unlikely”, suggesting that the court “should” dismiss the case.
Swift’s lawyers continued to say Wade had failed to “identify a single case where trademark infringement served as the basis of an unfair UCL claim,” instead claiming that her lawsuit was more relevant to false advertising.
As the Blank Space crooner is a Tennessee resident, they also that the Los Angeles federal court had no personal jurisdiction over the popstar.
“Plaintiff’s claims were – and are still – baseless,” they concluded. “Having already amended once and still failing to plausibly allege any claims, plaintiff is not entitled to anything more. This case should be dismissed with prejudice.”
The Life Of A Showgirl dropped in October 2025, becoming the best-selling album of the year. On 23 September, Taylor Swift announced she would be releasing The Life Of A Showgirl: The Encore, which will arrive tomorrow, September 25.
