Photo Credit: Lady Gaga’s sweatshirt (left); Lost International trademark logo (right)
Surf brand Lost International sues Lady Gaga for using a logo on her new Mayhem merch they say is ‘near identical’ to their trademark.
Lady Gaga is being sued by a California surf company that claims she infringed on their trademark with the Mayhem logos featured on her newest merch. The company filed a complaint against the 38-year-old pop star in California district court on Tuesday, March 25.
According to the complaint, the logo featured on merch used to promote her new album is “substantially similar if not nearly identical” to the logo they trademarked in 2015. Lost International says they’ve been using the “Mayhem” trademark since 1986 on surfboards, surf equipment, clothing, accessories, and in videos. “Mayhem” is also the nickname of the company’s co-founder, Matt Biolos.
“Lady Gaga’s actions are likely to mislead the public into concluding that her goods originate with or are authorized by Lost, which will damage both Lost and the public,” reads the complaint. “Lost has no control over the quality of goods sold by Lady Gaga and because of the source of confusion caused by Lady Gaga, Lost has lost control over its valuable goodwill.”
Lost International is asking for a trial by jury, and claims they sent Lady Gaga’s team a cease and desist that was ignored.
“Lady Gaga’s Mayhem soared to No. 1 and shattered records; a testament to her unmatched talent and global impact. It’s disappointing — but hardly surprising — that someone is now attempting to capitalize on her success with a baseless lawsuit over the name ‘Mayhem,’” her attorney, Orin Snyder, said in a statement. “This is nothing more than an opportunistic and meritless abuse of the legal system.”
Upon its release, Mayhem debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Lady Gaga is set to embark on her Mayhem Ball tour in support of the album in July, for which she will play 32 shows across North America, Europe, and the UK through November.
According to the superstar, “Mayhem is about following your own chaos into whatever cranny of your life that it takes you to. And in that way, it was about following the songs,” she said in an interview with ELLE. “Writing as many songs as I did for this album was a labor of total love. And then you just have to be very cutthroat by the end.”
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