FKA Twigs Beats Trademark Lawsuit From Indie Band The Twigs

FKA Twigs just cleared a major hurdle in her long-running name battle. A federal judge officially threw out trademark infringement claims brought by indie duo The Twigs, deciding the sister band waited far too long to push their grievance through the court system. U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff handed down the ruling in favor of the star, whose real name is Tahliah Barnett. According to court records first reported by Billboard, the federal judge determined that twin musicians Laura Good and Linda Good forfeited their rights to press trademark claims due to a decade of legal inactivity.

why did the twigs sue fka twigs The legal squabble over the performer's alias actually stretches back to the very beginning of her breakout era. The Good sisters originally registered a trademark for their band name, The Twigs, back in 1996. When Barnett first launched her music career simply using the moniker "Twigs," the indie duo launched their first legal offensive in 2014. To resolve the initial confusion, Barnett tacked on "FKA"—short for "Formerly Known As"—to her stage handle. The sisters kept pressing forward at the time, but they ended up abandoning that original lawsuit after a court denied their request for an emergency preliminary injunction. For an entire decade, the feud stayed completely dormant. That changed when the indie act resurfaced with brand-new legal action against the *Eusexua* singer. The sisters claimed that Barnett's skyrocketing stardom and cultural footprint had effectively erased and ruined the value of their original intellectual property. Reports indicate the duo even attempted to extract a massive seven-figure payout from the mainstream star.

BUZZBEAT

is the fka twigs trademark case finished Judge Rakoff put a swift stop to that maneuver, deciding that the statute of limitations and the doctrine of laches barred the sisters from dragging out a dispute they abandoned years ago. By taking zero legal action for ten years, the court noted, the indie group lost their shot to claim trademark damages. While this specific ruling marks a massive win for Barnett, the court fight is not completely wrapped up. The dismissal only applies to the infringement claims brought by the Good sisters. FKA Twigs still has her own active legal counterclaims pending against the duo, meaning the ultimate end of this name war is still playing out behind closed doors.