Whiff of Karma off this one.
A US theme park that accused Taylor Swift of trademark infringement is being sued… by Taylor Swift.
The owners of Evermore, a venue in Pleasant Grove, Utah, had sued the singer over the title of her most recent album. They claimed they owned the trademark to the name Evermore, and that Swift had violated this when she began selling merchandise to support her ninth studio album.
Swift’s legal team were quick to dismiss the claims as “frivolous” and “irresponsible”, they’re now counter-suing the park for wilful copyright infringement of the singer’s music.
According to legal documents the owners of Evermore Park are big fans of Taylor Swift’s music and frequently use her catalogue without license agreement or authorisation. The park also employs actors who perform some of the superstar’s tracks to large crowds “routinely” and have been doing so for well over a year.
Repeated attempts from BMI (the performing rights organisation which protects and collects revenue for artists) to stop the use of Swift’s back catalogue at the park were ignored and owners only recently made contact with the organisation, “in an overt attempt to cover up their years of unlawful conduct and intentional failure to compensate artists”.
The theme park is described as an interactive fantasy experience and it seems it’s not only T-Swift’s tracks that get top billing, it’s alleged the park also employs the musical talent of Katy Perry, Abba, the Beatles, Billy Joel, Britney Spears, Green Day and Whitney Houston, among others, to entertain their guests.
Swift’s legal team are looking for damages lost from the Utah park and hope to permanently ban the park from playing a Taylor Swift song on its grounds for Evermore.
Couldn’t resist.
