LAGOS, Nigeria(VOICE OF NAIJA)- Australia’s High Court has ruled that a local fashion designer named Katie Perry can keep using her own name for her clothing brand despite a long-running legal dispute with global pop singer Katy Perry.
On Wednesday, Australia’s High Court ruled that the designer’s clothing label does not harm the singer’s reputation or confuse shoppers, allowing the “Katie Perry” trademark to remain officially registered. The decision closes a years-long dispute that stretched through multiple courts and appeals.
The case focused on the use of the “Katie Perry” name in Australia’s fashion market and merchandise sold by the pop singer during a past concert tour. The designer launched her fashion label in 2007 using her birth name and later applied for a trademark. By 2008, she was selling clothing at markets and promoting the brand online.
Meanwhile, the American singer was rapidly becoming famous worldwide after releasing her breakout hit “I Kissed a Girl.”
“I had never heard of the singer when I started my label. I was simply building a fashion business under the name I was born with,” Taylor said in court documents.
In 2009, lawyers representing the pop star contacted the designer asking her to stop using the name and signaled plans to challenge the trademark. However, that legal action was eventually dropped, allowing the fashion label to continue operating. Years later, the issue resurfaced when merchandise linked to the singer, such as hoodies, jackets and T-shirts was sold during a 2014 tour in Australia.
In 2023, the designer sued the singer for trademark infringement and initially won the case. But the decision was overturned in 2024 when an appeals court ruled that the singer had been commercially using her stage name earlier. At the time, Taylor described the fight as a “David and Goliath” struggle between a small business owner and a global celebrity.
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The High Court ultimately sided with the designer in a majority decision. Judges concluded that the pop star’s reputation in Australia is so strong that consumers would not realistically confuse a local clothing label with the singer’s global brand.
“This has been an incredibly long and difficult journey. But today confirms what I always believed – that trademarks should protect businesses of all sizes. This case has never just been about a name. It has been about protecting small business in Australia, for standing up for what is right and showing that we all matter,” Taylor said after the ruling.
Representatives for the singer said she never intended to shut down the designer’s company.
“She never sought to close down Ms. Taylor’s business or stop her selling clothes under the KATIE PERRY label,” a spokesperson said.
Some matters raised by the singer will still return to the Federal Court for further review. Outside the courtroom, Katy Perry continues to draw global attention for both music and personal milestones. Recent headlines have followed her trip aboard the Blue Origin New Shepard spacecraft, her separation from actor Orlando Bloom and reports linking her to former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
