00:00This is my brand new album.
00:05Taylor Swift knows how to drop big news.
00:08That was last summer when she announced her 12th studio album,
00:10The Life of a Showgirl, on her now-fiancé, Travis Kelsey's podcast.
00:15The album went on to shatter streaming records,
00:17despite getting less than sparkly reviews.
00:20I welcome the chaos.
00:21The rule of show business is if it's the first week of my album release
00:27and you are saying either my name or my album title, you're helping.
00:31Well, one hater in particular is bringing the album back into the spotlight
00:34with a wild lawsuit, and Team Taylor is hitting back, hard.
00:39Hell hath no fury like a pop star scorned.
00:43So let's break it all down.
00:44In March, a Las Vegas woman, Maren Flagg, who performs as Maren Wade,
00:49sued Swift, claiming the life of a showgirl infringes upon her 2015 trademark
00:55of the phrase, Confessions of a Showgirl.
00:58She asked for Swift to be immediately blocked from selling related merch
01:01as they battle it out in court.
01:03Then this week, Swift's lawyers blasted Flagg in a new brief obtained by Variety.
01:09This motion, just like Maren Flagg's lawsuit, should never have been filed.
01:13It is simply Ms. Flagg's latest attempt to use Taylor Swift's name
01:17and intellectual property to prop up her brand.
01:20They also called it absurd that Flagg would compare her cabaret show to Swift's album.
01:26Flagg performs, if at all, in small intimate venues,
01:30such as a 55-plus active community, 55-plus golf resort, RV and golf resort,
01:3790-seat cabaret-style venue that offers dinner, hotel, and private supper club.
01:43Her website lists no upcoming performances.
01:46Ouch.
01:47Swift's team also accused Flagg of attempting to associate herself with the life of a showgirl
01:52before suing her months later.
01:54Prior to the album announcement, the plaintiff had never used the life of a showgirl
01:58in her social media promotion.
02:00Following the announcement, the plaintiff used the phrase,
02:03or posted generally about Ms. Swift, or the album, over 40 times
02:07on her branded Instagram and TikTok accounts.
02:10In a statement to Billboard, Flagg's attorney, Jamie Parkinen,
02:13said he and his client still plan to move forward with the lawsuit.
02:17Flagg's lawyer previously claimed Swift never reached out
02:20when she allegedly tried to trademark the phrase,
02:23but was denied because it was too similar to Flagg's.
02:26He said,
02:37Meanwhile, Taylor's got a wedding to plan.
02:41We're eight weeks out until her July 3rd wedding to Travis Kelsey,
02:44right here in New York City.
02:46And Page Six will have all the details on that
02:48and what happens with this lawsuit.
02:50All I know is I wouldn't want to get into a fight with Ms. Swift.
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