A Las Vegas performer has filed a federal lawsuit seeking to prevent one of the world’s most successful recording artists from using an album title she claims infringes on her established trademark.
Maren Wade, who performs under the professional name Maren Flagg, appeared in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday requesting a preliminary injunction against the use of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ as an album title. Wade argues the name is too similar to her trademarked brand ‘Confessions of a Showgirl,’ which she has used since 2014.
Wade’s attorney, Jaymie Parkkinen, told U.S. District Judge Serena Murillo that his client has built her brand over twelve years, beginning with a weekly column in Las Vegas Weekly about her experiences as a professional performer. The trademark was officially registered in 2015, and the brand has since expanded to include live performances, touring productions, and digital media content.
The legal dispute centers on what Parkkinen described as ‘reverse confusion injury,’ where an established trademark holder becomes perceived as the imitator when a larger entity uses a similar name. He argued that the album title functions not merely as artistic expression but as a commercial identifier for various merchandise including candles, hairbrushes, and stuffed toys.
The album in question, released on October 3, 2025, achieved record-breaking commercial success. It secured the largest sales week for any album in United States music history and marked the artist’s fifteenth number-one album, setting a new record for the most chart-topping albums by a solo artist in the 21st century.
J. Douglas Baldridge, representing the recording artist, countered that consumer confusion between the two brands was highly unlikely. He argued that audiences attending Wade’s cabaret performances in smaller venues or reading her published work would not associate these with the platinum-selling musician’s output.
Baldridge also questioned the timing of Wade’s legal action, noting she waited eight months after the album’s release to file her complaint on March 30. He suggested Wade initially attempted to leverage the album’s popularity on social media to boost her own brand before pursuing legal action when those efforts failed to produce the desired marketing benefits.
The defense attorney further claimed that Wade only announced plans for a podcast using her trademarked name after the album’s release, implying an attempt to capitalize on the recording artist’s success rather than protect an existing brand.
According to court documents, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office previously declined to register ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ as a trademark, citing its similarity to Wade’s existing registration. This decision forms a key element of Wade’s legal argument.
The case raises questions about the intersection of trademark law and artistic expression, particularly when established small-scale performers face potential brand confusion from major entertainment industry figures. Judge Murillo took the motion under submission without indicating her preliminary position on granting or denying the injunction.
The outcome could have implications for how courts balance trademark protection for independent artists against the commercial interests of major entertainment figures, especially in cases where similar naming conventions exist within the same industry sector.
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