Taylor Swift’s lawyers have strongly rejected a trademark infringement lawsuit filed by former Las Vegas performer Maren Flagg, describing the legal action as “absurd” and accusing the entertainer of attempting to benefit from the singer’s fame.

According to court documents obtained by Variety, Flagg sued Swift in March over the title of the singer’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl.

Flagg, who performs under the name Maren Wade, claims the title infringes on her 2015 trademark for the phrase “Confessions of a Showgirl”.

Flagg is seeking to block Swift from selling merchandise linked to the album while the case proceeds through the courts.

In a filing submitted on Wednesday, Swift’s legal team argued that the lawsuit lacked merit. “This motion, just like Maren Flagg’s lawsuit, should never have been filed,” the lawyers stated. “It is simply Ms. Flagg’s latest attempt to use Taylor Swift’s name and intellectual property to prop up her brand.”

The filing also rejected any comparison between Flagg’s cabaret performances and Swift’s album project.

Swift’s lawyers stated that Flagg performs “if at all” in small venues aimed largely at older audiences and argued that there was no realistic possibility of consumer confusion between the two brands.

The legal team further alleged that Flagg only began publicly using the phrase “the life of a showgirl” after Swift announced the album. The filing claimed Flagg mentioned Swift or the album more than 40 times on her Instagram and TikTok accounts following the announcement.

Speaking to Billboard, Flagg’s attorney, Jaymie Parkkinen, confirmed that his client intends to continue with the case. He said trademark law exists “to ensure that creators at all levels can protect what they’ve built”.