A Sydney designer says she feels ‘personally attacked’ by US pop icon Katy Perry after the singer renewed their ‘David and Goliath’ legal battle over a trademark.
In April, Katie Jane Taylor, sued the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker, 38, for trademark infringement in Federal Court over the sale of clothes.
Taylor, a mother of two, has operated a clothing label under her birth name Katie Perry since 2006 and has held the trademark in Australia for more than a decade.
The Sydney designer sued the singer, claiming she infringed her trademark by using one that was ‘substantially identical to or deceptively similar’.
Ms Taylor claimed Perry had been using the trademark in Australia since at least 2013, selling products not only at her concerts and shops like Myer and Target.
She partially won her claims but received no compensation, while a counterclaim by Perry and her company Killer Queen LLC was dismissed.
Now, the pop icon has renewed the legal battle by appealing the judgement.
A Sydney designer says she feels ‘personally attacked’ by US pop icon Katy Perry after the singer appealed a decision that found she had infringed on her trademark
In April, Katie Jane Taylor, sued the I Kissed A Girl hitmaker, 38, for trademark infringement in Federal Court over the sale of clothes
On Wednesday, the small business owner – who sells ‘sustainable basics like t-shirts and pyjamas – revealed she would be returning to court.
‘You may have heard the news, there is an appeal on my ‘David and Goliath’ case,’ she told her 7,000 Instagram followers.
‘Last week on my fridge calendar written in bold pen are the words ‘ Last day of appeal’. I had not heard anything and felt relieved.
‘However, the following day whilst getting my kids ready for bed, an email came through, and the news was not good. The singer has chosen to appeal, a day late.’
Ms Perry said she didn’t want her children to see her crying, so burst into tears on the footpath instead as strangers walked by.
‘This is a case that I thought had an end in sight and yet the singer has chosen to continue to drag it out. By label is my future, my dream, my livelihood and now there is a chance my trademark could be taken away.
‘It feels like a personal attack. I have already had trolling on my accounts.’
Ms Taylor admitted that while it was challenging, she was prepared to fight the appeal for all small business owners in Australia.
She began designing clothes in November 2007 when she launched her line at a school charity event and then sold them at Sydney markets in May 2008.
She had already registered her business and domain name as ‘Katie Perry’ in 2007 before the pop idol of the same name released her own merch Down Under.
Even The Bachelor star Thomas Malucelli, 35, (right) threw his support into the ring, modelling the small business owner’s clothing range and leaving sweet comments on her Instagram page
In 2009, Ms Taylor went public with her legal battle in the form of a video message to the superstar on YouTube.
This prompted an email from Perry’s manager Steven Jensen who said the situation was ‘blown way out of proportion’.
Despite the backlash Ms Taylor has received from Perry’s fans, a network of Aussie support has kept her spirits high during the legal battle.
Even The Bachelor star Thomas Malucelli threw his support into the ring, modelling the small business owner’s clothing range and leaving sweet comments on her Instagram page.
‘You rock, my friend,’ he wrote under the post celebrating her initial court win against Perry.
