If you’re thinking about selling candles on Etsy with Baby, I’m A Nightmare Dressed Like A Daydream
or This Sick Beat
you may want to think again.
Taylor Swift has trademarked those lyrics – along with:
Cause We Never Go Out of Style
Party Like It’s 1989
Nice to Meet You, Where You Been?
Could Show You Incredible Things
All the phrases are lyrics from her new pop album 1989 (which sold more than 4 million copies in its first 12 weeks).
The trademarking is all very official
Taylor trademarked the phrases with the U.S. government; according to the legal database Justia.
The trademarks prohibit the use of the phrases from appearing (without a license) on everything from guitar straps and accessories like removable tattoos. Some of the weirder items covered by her trademarks include typewriters, walking sticks, non-medicated toiletries, Christmas stockings, pot holders, lanyards, aprons, knitting implements, and napkin holders.
One Etsy seller had to take down some candles with Taylor Swift lyrics after Taylor’s lawyers threatened her with legal action.
Buzzfeed learned that this has been happening for sometime now, several stores with that sell t-shirts, candles (anything with Taylor Swift lyrics) have received cease and desist letters from Taylor’s lawyers.
Here’s what one Etsy store owner, who received a trademark infringement warning last month, told BuzzFeed News:
We originally made the item for fun, we love Taylor and we had friends that love Taylor. We never intended for it to be a profit-making item. The cost of the item covered shipping costs, and production costs with very little left over.
When we got the email that the trademark infringement occurred, we were pretty shocked because while our item was popular we didn’t feel as if it had become popular enough to cause harm to Taylor Swift’s empire. We were shocked. And we were scared. We didn’t even make enough money for a lawyer and this had seemed like such a harmless and fun idea.
That same day, we saw that Taylor was attempting to trademark a variety of phrases and trying to get them blocked from being sold. After seeing that, we grew a little angry and felt targeted by her camp. It didn’t seem like much of a coincidence anymore.
It looks like Taylor doesn’t want anyone to make money of off her success. Not even her biggest fans.
What do you guys think about Taylor trademarking her lyrics? Good business move or not?
