American pop star Katy Perry has lost a long running trademark battle against Australian fashion designer Katie Perry after a final ruling by Australia’s High Court.
The legal dispute, which lasted for more than 15 years, centred on who had the right to use the name “Katie Perry” on clothing products in Australia. The court ultimately ruled in favour of the Sydney based designer, allowing her to keep the trademark for her fashion brand.
The Australian designer, whose real name is Katie Taylor but who was born Katie Perry, started her fashion label using the name in 2007. She later applied to register the trademark for clothing in 2008, before the global fame of the American singer had fully taken hold in Australia.
The conflict began in 2009 when the pop star’s team opposed the designer’s trademark and began selling merchandise such as clothing under the name “Katy Perry” during tours and online sales. The designer later filed a lawsuit claiming that these products infringed on her registered trademark.
In its final decision, the High Court ruled by a 3–2 majority that the designer’s trademark did not violate trademark laws and was unlikely to confuse consumers, despite the singer’s global popularity. The judges also concluded that the singer’s reputation in music did not automatically extend to clothing merchandise.
The ruling effectively allows the Australian designer to continue using the “Katie Perry” name for her clothing line. Legal costs were also awarded in her favour.
Following the decision, the designer described the outcome as a victory for small businesses, saying the case showed that independent entrepreneurs can successfully defend their rights even against major global brands.
Although the High Court has settled the core dispute, some aspects of the case may still return to a lower court to address additional issues related to the timeline of the legal action.
