FKA Twigs has gone on the offensive in a long-simmering trademark battle, filing a complaint in the Southern District of New York on March 20 seeking a court declaration that her stage name does not infringe the trademark rights of an American indie pop duo called The Twigs.
The lawsuit, filed under the artist’s legal name Tahliah Barnett, names twin sisters Laura and Linda Good — who together comprise The Twigs — as defendants.
According to the complaint, which you can read in full here, Barnett has 3.2 million monthly Spotify listeners, 2.6 million Instagram followers, and won the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album in February for her project Eusexua.
The Twigs have 25 monthly Spotify listeners and 705 Instagram followers. The band’s website lists only three live performances in the past 25 years, with the most recent marketed show taking place at “Wet Whistle Wines” in Brooklyn — a location the complaint observes “is not a performance venue.”
The dispute has roots stretching back more than a decade. According to the complaint, the Good sisters first became aware of Barnett’s use of the FKA Twigs name in 2013 and filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against her in California in April 2014, seeking an emergency injunction to block an upcoming concert. The court denied that motion, finding that the defendants’ own delay in seeking relief undermined their claim of irreparable harm. The Good sisters then voluntarily dismissed the case — and, as the complaint alleges, “simply disappeared.”
According to the complaint, Barnett heard nothing from the defendants for approximately ten years after that dismissal. During that time, the filing states, she became a “globally recognized music artist,” collaborating with Apple, Nike, Google, and Calvin Klein, headlining festivals including Coachella and Glastonbury, and securing trademark registrations for ‘FKA TWIGS’ in the UK, EU, Japan, and China.
Then, in May 2024, the Good sisters sent a new cease and desist letter, followed by another in October 2025. In December 2025, they initiated an opposition proceeding before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) to block Barnett’s pending US trademark registration for ‘FKA TWIGS.’ That TTAB proceeding remains pending alongside the newly filed lawsuit.
The complaint alleges that the defendants’ true motive became clear during negotiations, when they “made a seven-figure demand — for the status quo of co-existence.”
“The parties operate in entirely different commercial ecosystems.”
FKA TWIGS’ FILING
Barnett’s legal team at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp argues that Barnett’s use of ‘FKA TWIGS’ is not likely to cause consumer confusion, and that the defendants’ claims are barred by their decade of inaction.
The complaint states: “The parties operate in entirely different commercial ecosystems: Defendants are an alternative indie pop duo with limited recognition and minimal (if any) recent activity, whereas Barnett is a globally recognized music artist whose creative work spans music, film, modeling, and art, with a distinct aesthetic, audience, and sound profile.”
Barnett has never objected to The Twigs’ use of their own name and ‘has had no issue with the decade-long co-existence of the parties,’ the filing adds — pushing back against the defendants’ suggestion in their cease and desist letters that Barnett might use her trademark registration to block their expansion.
Elsewhere, the complaint notes that The Twigs’ album covers ‘portray the band as perky and upbeat,’ while Barnett’s ‘evoke pain, vulnerability, and complex emotions.’ It points to a crowded field of musical acts using variations of the word ‘twigs’ — including The Lemon Twigs, who have headlined major festivals and released five studio albums — to argue that the term is too weak and diluted for the defendants to claim exclusive rights over it.
Barnett is seeking a declaration of non-infringement, an order allowing her pending US trademark application to proceed to registration, a permanent injunction barring the defendants from interfering with her use of the FKA Twigs name, and attorneys’ fees.
The case has been assigned to Judge Jed S. Rakoff. The defendants have not yet responded to the complaint.Music Business Worldwide
