Lady Gaga Hit with $100 Million Trademark Lawsuit Over “Mayhem” Album
March 26, 2025 — Pop icon Lady Gaga is facing a federal trademark infringement lawsuit in California over the name of her upcoming album and tour, Mayhem. The suit was filed by lifestyle and apparel brand Lost International, which claims exclusive rights to the trademark ‘MAYHEM’ for a variety of clothing items.
According to the complaint, Lost International owns a federally registered trademark for ‘MAYHEM’ in connection with clothing, and argues that Lady Gaga’s use of the same name—particularly in association with merchandise tied to her album and tour—violates their trademark rights. The lawsuit includes a side-by-side comparison of Lost’s logo and Gaga’s Mayhem branding, alleging visual similarities and potential consumer confusion.
Lost International is seeking at least $100 million in damages, an injunction to stop Gaga from using the Mayhem name, attorneys’ fees, and other unspecified relief.
But how strong is their case?
It is highly unlikely that Lost’s registration for a clothing brand would block Lady Gaga from using this name for her album or tour.
The main reason for this is that there are a plethora of other ‘MAYHEM’-formative marks for all sorts of goods and services. This means there is very little chance that consumers would think that Lady Gaga’s album is related to the Lost clothing brand.
The most valid part of the complaint is around the clothing items being sold by Lady Gaga.
Ultimately, the logo is similar and being used on the same goods (clothing). Since Gaga is expected to continue to sell clothing under the Mayhem brand during her tour, there could be an argument that this use overlaps with Lost International’s existing rights.
That said, this claim is complicated by the presence of at least 38 other active trademarks involving “Mayhem” for clothing, raising questions about the strength and exclusivity of Lost’s claim.
Moreover, Lady Gaga will have a defense available that her clothing items will be sold in a vastly different trade channel from Lost’s own clothing. A fan looking for Gaga merch isn’t likely to confuse it with a Lost International item. A valid claim for trademark infringement must show that a consumer would be “confused as to the source of a product.” In other words, if survey evidence shows that a Lost consumer was not buying a Gaga sweatshirt by mistake, the trademark infringement claim would likely fail in court.
As for the jaw-dropping $100 million demand? This does not appear to be based on any actual evidence and will be quickly disregarded by a court.
Lady Gaga has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit. Under federal rules, she’ll have a few weeks to file an official answer. Most trademark disputes of this nature are resolved out of court, but for now, all eyes will be on how this case unfolds.
Josh Gerben, Esq.
Josh Gerben, Esq. is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and the founder of Gerben IP. Since launching the firm in 2008, he has overseen the registration of over 10,000 trademarks and handled over 1,500 trademark disputes. Josh's practice focuses on building and defending global trademark portfolios for clients. These clients include entrepreneurs, private equity-backed businesses, athletes, celebrities, and public companies. Frequently quoted by major media outlets like CNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Josh is widely regarded as a leading authority in trademark law.
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