It’s all in the name. Singer Katy Perry has lost a trademark lawsuit brought by Australian fashion brand Katie Perry, the BBC and FashionNetwork, as well as the fashion brand’s website, have reported. The Australian designer sued the singer over merchandise sold during her 2014 Australian tour.
The court ruled that the copyright of clothing brand Katie Perry had been infringed by the sale of the tour merchandise. Coats, Christmas jumpers, T-shirts, sweatpants and scarves bearing the Katy Perry name have been sold during the singer’s ‘Down Under’ tour. The judge says the sale was made with “good intentions,” but that doesn’t mean there was no copyright infringement.
The two had been locked in a rights fight for some time. Back in 2009, Australian Katie Perry received a letter from the singer’s lawyers asking her to stop her fashion brand and the sale of clothes under her own name with immediate effect. However, since September 2008 the designer has held the trademark rights for the name Katie Perry in Australia. After some time, the dispute over the name in Australia weakened, however, the singer began selling products in the country herself, which led to copyright infringement.
The singer doesn’t have to pay any money to the Australian designer. The designer sees the win as a case of “David and Goliath,” according to her brand’s website. “I fought not only for myself but also for the other small businesses in this country, many of which were founded by women and dealing with foreign companies that have more financial muscle than us. We made it – we won.”
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.nl.