Katy Perry has emerged victorious in her protracted legal dispute with an Australian designer. The verdict was announced in an Australian court on Thursday, November 21, as confirmed by the Sydney-based fashion designer, who shares the same name with the singer. The Grammy-nominated artist, now 40, has been embroiled in a trademark dispute with the style expert since 2009. However, the Australian couturier was born as Katie Perry, while the singer's legal name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson.
Australian Katie Perry expressed her devastation to The Post, stating, "I have lost everything, including my trademark. As you can imagine, I'm devastated." The Post attempted to reach out to Katy Perry's representative for comment. Katie, the designer, revealed that she received a cease-and-desist letter from the pop star and her team, aiming to shut down her Australian clothing label, which she had been operating under her birth name since 2007.
In a 2022 blog post, the Australian Katie described the legal battle as "the end of one of the biggest battles of my business career, the 'David and Goliath case' – legal action against the singer, Katy Perry, for infringing my Katie Perry trademark in Australia – which I've held since September 29, 2008." Last year, the "Roar" singer lost the case after it was determined that she had infringed on the designer's trademark, but she did not concede. Katy Perry filed an appeal, leading to a retrial.
The designer previously mentioned experiencing "nightmares" and "insomnia" due to alleged trolling by the pop star's fans during the legal battle. She also recounted a distressing moment during the trial when she was compelled to read emails between the singer and her manager, where Perry referred to the designer as a "dumb b--ch." Katy's manager, Steven Jensen, dismissed the comments, stating, "Artists are emotional people. Emotions are what drive their talent. That was an emotional response, not directed at Ms. Taylor personally."
After the Australian Federal Court ruled in favor of Katie in 2023, the fashion designer hailed it as "a win for small business." She wrote, "Not only have I fought for myself, but I fought for small businesses in this country. Many of them started by women, who can find themselves up against overseas entities with much more financial power." Katy Perry is also entangled in a legal battle with an 84-year-old veteran, Carl Westcott, over the sale of his $15 million California mansion.
In 2020, Westcott entered into an agreement with the "Firework" singer's business manager, Bernie Gudvi, to sell his home to the superstar during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. When Westcott attempted to withdraw from the deal days later, citing his mental health and alleging he agreed to the sale while recovering from surgery, they refused. Consequently, both parties filed lawsuits against each other, with Westcott's mental capacity becoming a central issue.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Joseph Lipner sided with Katy in November 2023, ruling that Westcott lacked substantial evidence to support his claim of lacking the mental capacity to enter into a contract for the eight-bedroom, 11-bathroom estate. However, the legal battle persisted as Katy claimed Westcott owes her millions in damages on the property, with the amount continuing to rise. The pop singer and Westcott's team are scheduled to return to court in February 2025 for the second phase of the trial.
Source link: https://nypost.com
