- A fantasy theme park in Utah is suing pop star
Taylor Swift for infringing on its trademark - The park and Swift's most recent album share the name: 'Evermore'
On the lead single "willow" from her most recent album "Evermore," Taylor Swift sings: "And if it was an open-shut case/I never would've known from that look on your face."
But now there's a different kind of case open against Swift. A Utah theme park, also named Evermore, is suing the pop star and her management companies, alleging trademark infringement. The damages that the park is seeking would amount to millions of dollars, the suit, filed Tuesday in the US District Court in Utah, claims.
But Swift's lawyers allege that it's an open-shut case of a $4 aiming to cover its losses by capitalizing on the record's success.
Evermore, located in Pleasant Grove, Utah, is an immersive theme park in which guests travel through a "fantasy European hamlet of imagination," according to the $4.
Ken Bretschneider, the CEO of Evermore, was quoted in the suit as saying that escapism is central to the park's identity. The suit claims that "Taylor Swift's description of the Evermore Album echoes descriptions of Evermore, including mirroring the unique term (i.e., "escapism")."
The lawsuit alleges that some of the imagery in Swift's
The park's website saw a spike in pageviews after the announcement of Swift's second surprise album in December 2020. However, the suit claims that Evermore's park website and promotional materials were overshadowed by the buzzy release.
"Evermore will incur additional marketing and promotional costs as it strives to compete with the torrent of information related to the Evermore Album and Taylor Swift," the suit said.
An attorney for the Evermore park filed a cease and desist letter with Swift and her management companies shortly after the release, the suit says, but Swift's team responded by saying that increased website traffic "could only serve to enhance your client's mark."
A letter from Swift's attorneys filed in court and $4 said that the suit was "frivolous and irresponsible." But presiding judge Daphne Oberg hasn't ruled on whether Swift is out of the woods yet.
Evermore (the park) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Swift is no stranger to