People Taylor Swift Has Threatened To Sue
Taylor Swift takes her image very seriously—perhaps too seriously—and she takes her bottom line even more seriously than that. The singer, whose net worth is estimated at $250 million, seems to enjoy writing to her lawyers just as much as she loves writing songs. These are just a few of the people Swift has allegedly threatened with legal action over the course of her illustrious, litigious career.
24 random people
The Nashville Post reports that back in 2009, Taylor Swift went after 24 individuals who her "merchandise enforcement team" claims violated some of her unknown trademarks. She won an injunction against 16 of the 24 defendants, though sealed court records prohibit us from knowing exactly what merchandise they sold, and exactly how they allegedly ripped her off. How convenient for future T-Swizzle court battles.
Her first guitar teacher
Swift's team went after the man who taught her how to play guitar for simply having the nerve to say that he taught her to play guitar. Ronnie Cremer started a website, ITaughtTaylorSwift.com, which she and her attorneys didn't like. The New York Daily News reports that Swift's lawyers threatened legal action if Cremer didn't shut the site down. "I almost feel like they were trying to bully me a little bit," Cremer said. "I'm not giving back the domain name. I mean, Go Daddy sold it to me."
It seems Swift's biggest problem with the site is that it goes against the prodigy narrative that she likes to sell. In a 2009 tour DVD, Swift claimed that computer tech Cremer "taught her a few chords" and the rest was history—while Cremer claims that he actually instructed Swift on the instrument for more than two years. "I would like to develop it," Cremer said. "It's really not going to be a for-profit website. I've got nothing to sell on it. It's going to be an informational website that basically lets people know what really happened."
Fans on Etsy
Billboard reports that after Swift trademarked a slew of phrases from "1989" to "this sick beat," Swift's team threatened legal action against fans who also used the phrases. Fans who sold homemade merch on Etsy, even though said fans didn't really profit from her image so much as just enjoy crafting it, were unnerved by letters from her legal team. One seller told the mag, "We originally made the item for fun, we love Taylor and we had friends that love Taylor. We never intended for it to be a profit-making item. The cost of the item covered shipping costs, and production costs, with very little left over."
Two podcast hosts
Citizens Radio host Allison Kilkenny revealed on Twitter that Swift's team sent her a cease-and-desist letter after she discussed the song "Wildest Dreams" on air. The song never played on the show, but Kilkenny's co-host, Jamie Kilstein, recited some of the lyrics.
Kilkenny later tweeted, "Yesterday's @CitizenRadio has been deleted. Hey @taylorswift13 are you aware your people are harassing podcasts?" She continued, "So many questions. How did they know Jamie recited lyrics? Did they listen to the whole ep? Does TSwift have an army of podcast listeners? We only mentioned TSwift in the episode title. Does that mean her team listens to every podcast that mentions her? Also: HELLO TEAM TSWIFT."
Kimye
When Kanye West released his song "Famous" in February 2016, Swift was reportedly furious at the lyrics, which included, "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b**** famous." Swift accused West of bullying her, and when Kim Kardashian told GQ that Swift knew about the song and approved the lyrics, Swift swiftly denied it.
Then July 2016 happened, and Kardashian posted videos of West on speakerphone with Swift approving the lyric "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex." TMZ reports that before the videos were released, Swift's legal team sent letters to Kimye, demanding that the footage be destroyed on penalty of criminal prosecution. While no charges have been filed yet, it's safe to say that her attorneys are working hard for their money.
A graffiti artist
After Kimye exposed Swift as being a potential liar, an Australian graffiti artist painted a mural in memorial of her reputation as an innocent victim of Kanye West's bullying narrative, but used the name "Taylor Smith" in an effort to avoid legal trouble. It didn't work: The artist wrote on Instagram (via Us Weekly) a few days later, "Taylor Smith's attorney has emailed me with a threat of legal action if I do not remove my wall relating to her." The art was then changed to Harambe, the gorilla who was killed after a child fell into his pen at the zoo.