Katy PerryAustralian fashion designer Katie Perry has won a long-standing trademark battle against global pop star Katy Perry.
In the High Court today (11 March), it was found that the Australian designer’s brand was unlikely to harm Katy Perry’s reputation or cause confusion, ABC reports, with the ruling deciding that Katie Perry’s business is not in breach of trademark laws.
For close to two decades, Katie Jane Taylor has released clothing under the Katie Perry trademark (her birth name), and in 2024, she won her trademark dispute against the Roar singer.
Taylor established her label in 2006 and has held the trademark for Katie Perry-branded clothes in Australia since September 2008. Her designs have been sold in stores like Target and Myer and on websites.
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
When the lawsuit was first filed, Taylor and her legal team alleged that Perry was aware of the trademark held in Australia and “tried to bully her to give it up in 2009,” as well as attempting to “initiate opposition proceedings.”
At the time, Taylor said she had “never heard of the singer when I started my label,” with court documents confirming that she first heard of Katy Perry in mid-2008, when the song I Kissed A Girl burst onto the airwaves. "I was simply building a fashion business under the name I was born with."
In June 2024, Taylor revealed that Perry had appealed the decision that had Taylor win the trademark battle. The singer’s legal team won the case in court in November 2024.
As a result of the Justices’ ruling in Perry’s favour, Taylor’s Katie Perry trademark was cancelled. She was also ordered to pay the singer’s costs for the appeal and cross-appeal.
Today, Justice Simon Steward referenced documents that proved that Katy Perry’s manager, Steven Jensen, was aware of the Katie Perry trademark in 2009.
“First, in May 2009, the American artist filed a notice of opposition to the registration of the appellant's mark out of time, with an application for an extension of time to file that notice,” Justice Steward said, per ABC.
Steward added, “Second, also in May 2009, the appellant received a cease-and-desist letter from Australian trademark attorneys acting for the American artist.”
After describing Katie Perry’s business as a “self-funded,” and “small” endeavour, Steward contrasted the Australian designer with the American singer, saying that Katy Perry’s fame “grew rapidly.”
"So did her business as a singer,” Steward said. “In August 2009, she toured Australia again and sold ‘Katy Perry’ branded apparel and merchandise at her concerts. This was done in full knowledge of the fact of the appellant's registered trademark.”
Steward added that Steven Jensen had previously written to the singer, saying “the public would not confuse your Katy Perry branded tour merchandise with this lady’s clothes.”
The singer’s team’s actions were then described as “a persistent or assiduous infringer of the appellant’s validly registered ‘Katie Perry’ mark” by Steward. Legal costs were awarded in the Aussie designer’s favour.
“This has been an incredibly long and difficult journey,” Taylor commented in a statement, per the BBC. “But today confirms what I always believed - that trademarks should protect businesses of all sizes.”
She added, “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.”
Katy Perry toured Australia for the first time in six years in June 2025 following her performance at the 2024 AFL Grand Final.
