By Blake Brittain
Feb 13 (Reuters) – A bedding company that applied for a federal “Swift Home” trademark has abandoned its application following pressure from pop star Taylor Swift, an attorney for the company told Reuters on Friday.
Swift’s company TAS Rights Management LLC told the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in a Wednesday filing the cursive “Swift” in Cathay Home Inc’s proposed logo closely resembles the singer’s trademarked signature and would likely mislead consumers into thinking she endorsed Cathay’s products.
“Our client has not used the disputed mark in commerce,” Cathay’s attorney Ting Geng said on Friday. “After evaluating the circumstances, our client elected not to pursue registration of a mark it did not consider essential to its business.”
Geng also said Cathay previously signed a coexistence agreement with Swift for another “Swift Home” trademark that was not at issue in the singer’s opposition.
Cathay’s abandonment of its new application was not immediately reflected in the USPTO’s records. Attorneys and a spokesperson for Swift did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cathay’s website says it sells its products through Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Nordstrom and other retailers. It applied last year to register a federal “Swift Home” trademark covering bedding items including pillows, mattresses and sheets.
Taylor Swift is a 14-time Grammy Award winner whose recent “Eras” tour was the highest-grossing concert tour of all time.
Her company’s Wednesday filing said she owns federal trademarks covering the use of her name on bed linens, clothing and other products, and that Cathay’s proposed trademark would cause consumer confusion.
Cathay did not respond to Swift’s argument at the USPTO.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by Chris Reese)
