Trademark Showdown: Lady Gaga’s “Mayhem” Meets Surf Culture in Legal Wipeout

Pop superstar Lady Gaga might be riding high on the charts with her new album “Mayhem,” but she’s now caught in a different kind of wave – a trademark infringement lawsuit from California surf brand Lost International that’s making splashes across the entertainment and legal worlds.

In what could be dubbed “The Battle of the Mayhems,” Lost International claims they’ve been hanging ten with their “Mayhem” trademark since 1986, officially registering it in 2015. Meanwhile, Gaga’s merchandise features a suspiciously similar logo, and the surf company is wiping out – legally speaking.

The surf company isn’t just making vague accusations. They allege Gaga’s “Mayhem” logo is “substantially similar if not nearly identical” to their trademarked design. Lost International even sent a cease-and-desist letter that disappeared into pop culture faster than last season’s dance moves.

Lady Gaga’s lawyer, Orin Snyder, isn’t about to let the singer wipe out without a fight. Snyder slammed the lawsuit as “nothing more than an opportunistic and meritless abuse of the legal system,” suggesting the timing – right after Gaga’s album shot to #1 – is about as coincidental as finding sand at the beach.

This case is a fascinating legal cocktail that mixes several key intellectual property questions. Can a surf brand and a pop star peacefully coexist with similar logos when they appear to operate in different worlds? Would the average Gaga fan mistakenly believe they’re purchasing officially licensed surf gear when buying her “Mayhem” merchandise? Is this a case of a smaller brand trying to catch a financial wave from a celebrity’s success?

The takeaway for businesses watching from the shore is clear: trademark protection doesn’t stop at industry boundaries. The growing interconnection between entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle brands means that what happens in the surf shop doesn’t necessarily stay in the surf shop.

Innovative business practices include thorough trademark searches beyond your immediate industry, prompt responses to cease and desist letters (rather than ignoring them like an unwanted beach party invitation), and detailed documentation of when and how you’ve used your marks.

As Lost International and Lady Gaga paddle into the courtroom, IP attorneys everywhere are grabbing their metaphorical popcorn. The case could set interesting precedents about how courts view trademark conflicts between seemingly unrelated industries in our increasingly interconnected commercial landscape.

No matter how this plays out—courtroom battle or behind closed doors settlement—the case is a wake-up call. Fame doesn’t trump trademark law. The music industry’s biggest stars still have to play by the same IP rules as everyone else. Hollywood and legal circles will watch closely as this beachfront property dispute over a single word unfolds in the coming months.

About the Author:

Carrie Ward is an intellectual property attorney with two decades of experience specializing in trademark and copyright law for the entertainment and media industries. She assists clients with protecting creative assets, developing strong IP portfolios, and navigating complex infringement disputes. Her specialty includes trademark registration, enforcement strategies, and brand protection across digital and traditional platforms. With experience from private practice and in-house roles at major media companies, Carrie brings practical, business-minded solutions to intellectual property challenges facing creators, performers, and media companies of all sizes.