Australia

Designer Katie Perry Wins Trademark Battle vs Katy Perry

Did Katy Perry infringe on a small business trademark or was the designer exploiting her fame?

Published MAR 12

Designer Katie Perry Wins Trademark Battle vs Katy Perry

Story

Above: Katy Perry performs at Unipol Arena in Bologna on Nov. 2, 2025. Image credit: Sergione Infuso/Corbis/Getty Images

The Facts

Australian fashion designer Katie Taylor — born Katie Perry — on Wednesday won her High Court trademark battle against pop star Katy Perry. The High Court, in a majority decision, ruled that Taylor's clothing brand was unlikely to harm the singer's reputation or cause confusion.
BBC News
ABC Australia
Taylor registered her Katie Perry business name in April 2007 and applied for a trademark in September 2008, months after the singer's hit "I Kissed A Girl" was released. Court documents confirmed Taylor first heard of the singer in mid-2008 when the song came on the radio.
Guardian
CNN
The Australian
In May 2009, Katy Perry's team sent cease-and-desist letters to Taylor and filed a notice of opposition to Taylor's trademark registration. The singer's manager, Steven Jensen, wrote that "the public would not confuse your Katy Perry branded tour merchandise with this lady's clothes."
RNZ
The Age
Taylor sued the singer in 2019 for trademark infringement and won in Federal Court in 2023, but the decision was overturned on appeal in 2024 with Taylor's trademark canceled. The Full Federal Court ruled that Katy Perry had established a reputation in Australia before Taylor's brand.
Australian Financial Review
The Music
Sky News Australia
Justice Simon Steward described Taylor's business as "self-funded" and noted that Katy Perry sold branded merchandise during her August 2009 Australian tour "in full knowledge" of Taylor's registered trademark. Steward called the singer's actions those of "a persistent or assiduous infringer."
Guardian
ABC Australia
The High Court found no evidence of consumer confusion between the two brands over more than a decade. Legal costs were awarded in Taylor's favor, though some issues were sent back to the Full Federal Court for determination, according to a representative for Katy Perry.
Australian Financial Review
BBC News
Daily Mail

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

The singer established her reputation in Australia before the designer's clothing brand existed and offered a reasonable coexistence agreement in 2019. Instead of accepting, the designer waited 10 years to litigate, wasting court resources over a dispute that never required legal action.

Rolling Stone

Narrative B

Small businesses deserve trademark protection against celebrity encroachment. Katie Perry registered her brand in 2007 and operated for a decade without confusion, yet faced aggressive cease and desist letters from a pop star who knew about the existing trademark but sold merchandise anyway. The ruling is a victory for justice.