Taylor Swift '1989' News: 'Blank Space' Singer's Lawyers Reportedly Sent Cease & Desist Letters to Etsy Sellers Violating Her Trademarks
Taylor Swift's lawyers are threatening to crackdown on Etsy sellers using the pop singer's trademarks on their materials, BuzzFeed reports.
Swift has a long list of trademarks relating to logos and lyrics, while lawyers are in the process of acquiring more. Several Etsy stores have already received cease and desist letters for using the "Shake It Off" singer's trademarks.
"When we got the e-mail that the trademark infringement occurred, we were pretty shocked because while our item was popular we didn't feel as if it had become popular enough to cause harm to Taylor Swift's empire," said one Etsy store owner who received the letter for selling a T-shirt with one of Swift's lyrics on it.
"We were shocked. And we were scared. We didn't even make enough money for a lawyer and this had seemed like such a harmless and fun idea," the store owner added.
The owner did not want to be mentioned for fear of further legal action adding that many Etsy sellers are simply fans who have been inspired by Taylor Swift's songs.
Etsy said in a statement, "Because of privacy and legal concerns, we can't verify specific information about who contacts us."
"However, I can share more information about our copyright and intellectual property policy: When a seller opens a shop and lists an item on Etsy, they are agreeing to our terms of use, including trademark guidelines, and copyright and IP policy," the website continued. "We take intellectual property and copyright concerns very seriously, and we comply with the DMCA and remove items when we have proper notice. When we are notified about allegedly infringing material, we act swiftly and in compliance with our policy..."
Taylor Swift has applied for various phrases from her "1989" album to be registered as trademarks, including "this sick beat."
The album has made it to the top of the charts on Billboard as Swift prepares for her tour.
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