Australian designer Katie Perry wins High Court trademark appeal against singer Katy Perry

Australian designer Katie Perry has won a High Court appeal in a long-running trademark dispute with US pop singer Katy Perry, bringing a new ruling in a case that has moved through several courts over the past few years.

In a decision delivered on Wednesday, High Court judges ruled that the designer’s clothing brand did not damage the singer’s reputation or create confusion among consumers in Australia. The ruling allows the designer’s trademark to remain registered.

The case centres on the use of the name “Katie Perry” for a clothing brand and the sale of Katy Perry-branded merchandise during the singer’s 2014 Australian tour.

The designer, who changed her surname to Taylor in 2015, first registered her business name in 2007 under her maiden name. She began selling clothing at local markets in 2008 and also operated a website and social media accounts using the Katie Perry brand.

Taylor previously succeeded in a trademark infringement case in 2023, with the court ruling that the sale of merchandise such as jackets, hoodies, T-shirts and sweatpants during the singer’s 2014 tour breached Australian trademark law. However, that decision was overturned on appeal in 2024 and her trademark was cancelled.

The High Court’s latest judgment concluded that the singer’s reputation in Australia was so well known that consumers would not confuse the clothing brand with the performer.

Judges stated that “no ordinary person in Australia... after a moment's reflection” would believe Katie Perry clothing products were linked to the US singer.

“This has been an incredibly long and difficult journey,” Taylor said in a statement following the ruling. “But today confirms what I always believed - that trademarks should protect businesses of all sizes.”

A representative for Katy Perry said the singer “never sought to close down Ms. Taylor's business or stop her selling clothes under the KATIE PERRY label.”