Court Orders Taylor Swift to Give Deposition on Trademark Infringement Case

A California federal court judge on Wednesday, Aug.5, ruled that Taylor Swift must submit a deposition formally responding to the issues raised against her in a trademark infringement suit filed by an Orange County-based clothing company, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR).

Swift, along with American Greetings, were slapped with a lawsuit May 20 of last year by Blue Sphere Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California for alleged trademark infringement, trademark dilution, unfair competition and related counts. 

The defendant, the registered owner of the trademark "Lucky 13," claims that the 25-year-old singer and her companies, such as Taylor Nation LLC and Taylor Swift Productions Inc., had stepped on its mark by selling a St. Patrick's Day-themed "Lucky 13" T-shirt on her website in March 2012, according to an article at Law 360.

Swift moreover also allegedly inappropriately used the phrase "Lucky 13" for a sweepstakes, promoting her partnership with American Greetings, the world's largest greeting card company, which was also named as a defendant in the case. 

Swift and American Greetings have asked the court to dismiss the suit with prejudice. Swift has long told the public that the number 13 is very special for her. In an interview with MTV, as transcribed by Contact Music, she said:

"The significance of the number 13 on my hand... I paint this on my hand before every show because 13 is my lucky number. I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th. My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first number one song had a 13-second intro. Every time I've won an award I've been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section or row M, which is the 13th letter (of the alphabet). Basically, whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it's a good thing."

On July 15, Blue Sphere Inc. filed a motion asking a judge to force Swift to sit through an interview under oath. The singer responded with a petition to the court for a protective order to prevent being forced to answer questions from the plaintiff in the lawsuit. 

On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Douglas McCormick denied her request saying that the "extraordinary circumstances that would warrant a protective order prohibiting the deposition of a named party are not present here" according to THR. The judge moreover refused to order constraints on the scope of deposition, reportedly saying that evidence shows that Blue Sphere has attempted to be accommodating to Swift's "1989" tour schedule.

Blue Sphere is seeking injunctive relief, Swift's profits, Lucky 13's lost profits and damages in connection with the alleged trademark infringement.