Threatened by a bedding company, Taylor Swift is pushing back against its application for a trademark, claiming it misleads consumers regarding whether or not she has entered into the home industry.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office received an opposition to Cathay Home Inc.’s registration of “Swift Home” for pillows, mattresses and sheets filed by TAS Rights Management LLC, which owns and manages Taylor’s intellectual property.
There are two separate issues: the name itself and the design of the letters for “Swift” in Cathay’s logo, where the cursive font of “Swift” and Taylor’s trademark signature has many similarities.
Taylor’s legal team believes these similarities create “consumer confusion” and lead consumers to falsely believe that the 14-time Grammy Award winner (“Grammy”) is endorsing the products or has worked with Cathay.
The Plaintiff: Cathay Home Inc., a manufacturer that has supplied Target, Nordstrom and Bed Bath & Beyond.
The Claim: Swift already has federal trademarks in different classes for the name “Swift,” including bed linens and clothing.
The Relationship: Legal experts cite the trademark owner’s awareness of the “look and feel” of her logo—instead of just the name “Swift”—as being the impetus for starting this lawsuit.
The Opportunity: Swift is generally not aggressive about filing trademark oppositions, despite having a huge global brand and having just finished the relatively successful “Eras” Tour.
Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney, said, “Taylor has been less aggressive than she could have or probably should have been with having a significant investment in intellectual property and therefore probably would file at the trademark office on any infringement on her IP.
However, there has not had a significant enforcement action regarding the name ‘Swift’ until now, but the fact that the logo appears very similar to her signature has probably pushed the envelope.”
As of the date of this report, neither Swift’s counsel nor Cathay Home’s counsel have made any written statements regarding the pending litigation.
