Taylor Swift wins poetry copyright suit just days after marrying Travis Kelce
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift kiss after the AFC Championship game in January 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ashley Landis/The Associated Press)
Pop superstar and singer Taylor Swift married Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce over the July 4 weekend, and they celebrated their nuptials with friends and family in New York City. Now Swift has another reason to celebrate and shake off the claims: A Florida copyright infringement lawsuit against her has been dismissed—for good.
Just days after tying the knot with Kelce, Swift emerged victorious in the legal battle in the Sunshine State over copyright claims, USA Today reports.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon of the Southern District of Florida dismissed the suit with prejudice—meaning that it can’t be refiled with the same claims in the future—after poet Kimberly Marasco sued Swift, musician Aaron Dessner, Republic Records and the Universal Music Group in February 2025, according to documents obtained by USA Today.
In her complaint, Marasco accused Swift of copying lines from two of her poetry books in more than a dozen songs, including 2019’s “The Man” and 2022’s “The Great War.”
In the ruling, Cannon asserted that “the allegedly infringed material—basic ideas, themes, metaphors, isolated words and short phrases—is not protected expression and cannot be infringed,” according to a story by E! News.
Cannon ruled that Marasco “has failed to plausibly allege either access or substantial similarity, each of which is independently required to plead copying.”
Marasco said in a statement to USA Today she disagrees with the decision “and will be appealing it.”
USA Today also reached out to Swift’s lawyer for comment.
Swift is facing another legal challenge by a Las Vegas performer, who alleges that the singer’s 2025 album, The Life of a Showgirl, infringes on “Confessions of a Showgirl,” a registered trademark that the performer has.
Swift’s legal team has pushed back against that filing, stating in court documents that the trademark fight “should never have been filed.” That case remains ongoing.
See also:
Can trademarking Taylor Swift’s voice, likeness combat deepfakes?
How Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s engagement is a lesson in prenups
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