LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lawsuit says Taylor Swift’s “The Life of a Showgirl” stole the spotlight from the life of a real one.

Maren Wade says in the trademark infringement lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in California that the glittery branding of Swift’s 2025 album comes too close to the aesthetic of her own “Confessions of a Showgirl.” That was the name of a column she wrote on backstage Sin City life in the Las Vegas Weekly starting in 2014, which she turned into a live show that she took on a national tour.

“Both share the same structure, the same dominant phrase, and the same overall commercial impression,” the lawsuit says. “Both are used in overlapping markets and are directed at the same consumers.”

Wade is described as a “singer, songwriter, comedian, and writer” in the lawsuit filed under her legal name, Maren Flagg, and her “Showgirl” brand encompasses performances, writing and digital media.

“The Life of a Showgirl,” the stadium-packing superstar’s 12th studio album, released in October, sold 4 million copies in its first week. Its cover features her in Las Vegas cabaret garb, submerged in water with her current favorite color scheme of orange and mint green. On Tuesday, the morning after the lawsuit was filed, Swift dropped the newest video for the album for the album’s track “Elizabeth Taylor,” featuring archival footage of the Hollywood luminary who died in 2011.

Wade appeared to embrace Swift’s use of the showgirl image initially, sharing Instagram posts that used Swift’s music, hashtags related to the album, and the mint green color scheme. But Wade’s social media presence has gone silent in recent months.

Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are the company that manages Swift’s trademarks, her record label and its merchandising arm.

The lawsuit says the album, its promotion and the products surrounding it caused “textbook reverse confusion: a junior user’s overwhelming commercial presence drowns out the senior user’s mark, until consumers begin to assume that the original is the imitation. What Plaintiff had built over twelve years, Defendants threatened to swallow in weeks.”

A representative for Swift declined comment on the lawsuit.

Wade and her attorney say that the existence and trademark of “Confessions of a Showgirl” would not have escaped the notice of Swift’s team.

The lawsuit says the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declined to grant a trademark registration to “Life of a Showgirl” over potential confusion with the existing trademark.

“Defendants were therefore placed on actual notice that their chosen designation was likely to be confused with a mark that already belonged to someone,” the lawsuit says. “They continued using it anyway.”

A letter issued by the office in early March says the application was suspended due to potential confusion with another pending trademark filed earlier, for “Showgirl,” by a third party and pertaining to perfume. It also cited a “Likelihood of Confusion Refusal” based on the existing “Confessions” trademark.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction permanently barring Swift and her companies from using the “Life of a Showgirl” name and imagery, and monetary damages to be determined at trial, including profits attributable to the use of the brand.

Showgirl Showdown: Vegas Performer Sues Taylor Swift Over ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Trademark

.A professional Vegas showgirl has filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against Taylor Swift over her most recent album, The Life of a Showgirl.

The lawsuit, obtained by Rolling Stone, was filed by Maren Flagg. Flagg performs as Maren Wade, and she has spent the past decade building a career around the branding “Confessions of a Showgirl.” She first started writing a column for the Las Vegas Weekly under that banner in 2014, then turned her musings on showbiz life into a live show and touring production.

Wade trademarked “Confessions of a Showgirl” in 2015, and she claims that the “similarity” between her mark and Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is “immediate.” Her lawsuit reads: “Both share the same structure, the same dominant phrase, and the same overall commercial impression. Both are used in overlapping markets and are directed at the same consumers.”

The lawsuit points out that Swift’s efforts to trademark “The Life of a Showgirl” have already been stymied by perceived similarities with her own mark. Per the suit, Swift’s team filed a trademark application for “The Life of a Showgirl” last August, but in November, the U.S. Patent and Trademark office issued a partial refusal “because of a likelihood of confusion” with a different trademark: Wade’s “Confessions of a Showgirl.”

Despite this refusal, the lawsuit claims Swift and her team never obtained Wade’s “consent or authorization” to use The Life of a Showgirl or any similar mark on their numerous branding and merch endeavors. And, it adds, Swift has “continued to use The Life of a Showgirl in commerce as a trademark in connection with goods offered to the public.”

(The trademark office suspended Swift’s application earlier this month, putting proceedings on hold. A final decision hasn’t been made yet, though the suspension letter did indicate that the refusal “will be made final” once the suspension is lifted “unless a new issue arises.”)

Even though Wade has filed this lawsuit, a quick glance at her social media pages suggests there was a brief period where she was very excited for The Life of a Showgirl. Her Instagram page is filled with posts using Swift’s music and hashtags like #LifeOfAShowgirl and #TS12. The cover art for a Confessions of a Showgirl podcast Wade teased last summer also made use of a mint-green color scheme reminiscent of Swift’s album art. (Wade has been silent on social media since last October.)

But in her lawsuit, Wade claims that her own mark has essentially been swamped by Swift’s Showgirl era. “Each additional sale compounds the confusion in the marketplace and further erodes [Wade’s] ability to be recognized as the soul source of her Confessions of a Showgirl brand,” the lawsuit reads.

Jaymie Parkkinen, a lawyer for Wade, tells Rolling Stone, “Maren spent more than a decade building Confessions of a Showgirl. She registered it. She earned it. When Taylor Swift’s team applied to register The Life of a Showgirl, the Trademark Office refused, finding Swift’s mark confusingly similar. 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.”

A representative for Swift did not immediately return Rolling Stone’s request for comment.