Court rules in favor of designer Katie Perry in trademark dispute with singer

A 15-year court battle has come to an end and Katie Perry has won.

Katie Perry, who had a strikingly similar name to pop superstar Katy Perry, was a clothing designer who used her own name as the name of her brand.

The singer adopted the name in 2001, while the designer was named that at birth, news.com.au reported.

But the “I Kissed a Girl” singer sent the fashionista, who now goes by Katie Taylor, a letter saying she couldn’t. That happened more than 15 years ago.

“Just picture it. I had just launched my first showroom,” when she received the correspondence in 2009.

“I arrived back in the showroom, there were empty champagne glasses everywhere, and opened my post, and all I remember is looking at this paper that said, cease and desist. Stop sale of your clothes, stop any website, and stop any advertising material,” she said.

The now-Taylor, had registered Katie Perry as a trademark and the singer, whose real name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, demanded that she withdraw the trademark application, the designer said.

The designer said she first heard of the singer in July 2008 when she heard “I Kissed a Girl.” She registered the trademark in September 2008, news.com.au reported.

At one point, both sides nearly settled but couldn’t come to an agreement. Taylor also sued the “Firework” singer, saying that she infringed on the clothing brand’s trademark.

Taylor initially won the case but lost the appeal.

After nearly two decades, the legal battle is over.

The Australian High Court decided this week that Taylor can use the Kaite Perry brand, and that it did not violate trademark laws.

The court ruled in a majority decision that the designer’s brand would not likely harm the “Roar” singer’s reputation or cause confusion, news.com.au reported.

“Honestly, it kind of feels like a dream,” Taylor told CNN. “I keep thinking, like, oh my god, has this actually happened?”

“Katy Perry has never sought to close down Ms. Taylor’s business or stop her selling clothes under the KATIE PERRY label,” Katy Perry’s representative said.

But the case may not be done.

“Today, by a 3:2 decision, the High Court determined that Ms. Taylor’s trademark can remain on the register. The Court sent the case back to the Full Federal Court to determine issues raised by Katy Perry, including Ms. Taylor’s 10-year delay in bringing her case against Katy Perry,” the singer’s representative said, according to news.com.au.

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