The Lady Gaga Mayhem lawsuit is a $100 million trademark infringement case brought by Lost International, LLC, the company behind Lost Surfboards, over Gaga’s use of the name “Mayhem” for her 2025 album, worldwide tour, and merchandise. A federal judge in California refused to block sales of the tour merchandise in December 2025, ruling that Gaga’s use of the name is protected artistic expression, but the case has not been dismissed and is scheduled for a jury trial in August 2026.1Bloomberg Law. Lady Gaga Defeats Bid to Block Mayhem Merch in Trademark Suit2CourtListener. Lost International, LLC v. Stefani Joanne Germanotta Docket
Who Sued Lady Gaga and Why
Lost International filed Lost International, LLC v. Germanotta in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on March 25, 2025, less than three weeks after Gaga released her album Mayhem on March 7. An amended complaint followed on April 25, 2025, adding claims for federal trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and common law infringement.3The Trademark Lawyer Magazine. Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Lawsuit
Lost’s claim rests on two federal registrations for “Mayhem”: a 2013 registration covering surfboards and a 2015 registration covering apparel such as t-shirts, shorts, jackets, and caps. The clothing registration became “incontestable” in 2021, a status that strengthens a trademark holder’s rights.4Sterne Kessler. When Surfboards and Superstars Collide5Lawyer Chicago. $100M Battle Over Mayhem: Lost vs. Lady Gaga The company says it has used the name on clothing since 1988 and on surfboards since 1989.
The complaint focuses on clothing. Lost alleged that the logo on Gaga’s tour merchandise is “substantially similar if not nearly identical” to its own registered Mayhem mark and included side-by-side images of items like sweatshirts.6Fox Business. Lady Gaga Faces $100M Lawsuit Over Mayhem Logo The company argued that consumers would “wrongly assume Lady Gaga’s tour merchandise is made by, endorsed by or connected to the surf brand.”7Coast Law Group. A Mayhem-Inducing Lawsuit One complication for Lost: while it holds a federal registration for the word “Mayhem” on clothing, the stylized logo itself is not federally registered, so its visual-similarity argument depends on common law rights.8Spoor. Lady Gaga’s Mayhem Trade Mark Dispute
Lost is seeking at least $100 million in damages, disgorgement of Gaga’s profits from the merchandise, and a permanent injunction barring her from using the mark on apparel.4Sterne Kessler. When Surfboards and Superstars Collide Gaga’s lead attorney, Orin Snyder of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, called the suit “baseless,” “opportunistic,” and a “meritless abuse of the legal system.”9ASI Central. Surf Brand Sues Lady Gaga for $100M-Plus Over Mayhem Logo
The December 2025 Ruling on the Injunction
Lost filed for a preliminary injunction in May 2025 to halt sales of the Mayhem merchandise while the case proceeded. On December 15, 2025, U.S. District Judge Fernando M. Olguin denied the motion.1Bloomberg Law. Lady Gaga Defeats Bid to Block Mayhem Merch in Trademark Suit
The ruling went further than simply refusing to freeze sales. Judge Olguin found that Lost “cannot succeed on its claims for trademark infringement and false designation of origin” under the Lanham Act.10Rolling Stone. Lady Gaga Mayhem Lawsuit Key Ruling Against Surf Company Snyder called the decision a “total victory” that “reaffirms that trademark law cannot be used to censor expressive works or chill artistic expression.”11Billboard. Lady Gaga Mayhem Logo Lawsuit: Star Scores Key Win Against Surf Co. Keith Bremer, an attorney for Lost, said the company was disappointed but would “continue fighting.”12Surfer. Lady Gaga Victory Over Lost Surfboards in Mayhem Lawsuit
How the Judge Reached That Conclusion
Judge Olguin applied the Rogers v. Grimaldi test, the framework courts use to balance trademark rights against First Amendment protection for expressive works. Under Rogers, a challenged use survives if it has any artistic relevance to the underlying work and does not explicitly mislead consumers about the source of the product. The judge found Gaga’s merchandise cleared both prongs: the branding promoted her album and tour, and Lost failed to show any explicit statement suggesting the surf company was behind the goods.13AFS Law. Mayhem in the Marketplace: Judge Denies Injunction in Lady Gaga Trademark Dispute
Lost argued that the merchandise was purely commercial and shouldn’t get free speech protection at all. Judge Olguin rejected that, citing the Ninth Circuit’s 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Television v. Empire Distribution decision, which held that promotional activities tied to an expressive work, including branded clothing, fall within Rogers even when they generate revenue.1Bloomberg Law. Lady Gaga Defeats Bid to Block Mayhem Merch in Trademark Suit
Lost could have tried a different route. Under the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Jack Daniel’s Properties v. VIP Products LLC, Rogers does not apply when a defendant uses a mark “at least in part as a trademark” to identify the source of its own goods; instead, courts apply the traditional likelihood-of-confusion test. Judge Olguin found Gaga’s merchandise sufficiently tied to the album to stay inside the Rogers framework and never reached the stricter Jack Daniel’s analysis.14Global Legal Post. Brands, Bands, Trademarks and the First Amendment13AFS Law. Mayhem in the Marketplace: Judge Denies Injunction in Lady Gaga Trademark Dispute
Where the Case Stands
The injunction ruling was a decisive setback for Lost, but it did not end the lawsuit. Gaga’s defense filed an answer to the amended complaint in July 2025 rather than moving to dismiss, and the case is scheduled for a jury trial on August 11, 2026.2CourtListener. Lost International, LLC v. Stefani Joanne Germanotta Docket Lost is represented by Olivia Zorayan and Keith Bremer of Bremer, Whyte, Brown & O’Meara. Gaga is represented by Orin Snyder and a team from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.15Archive.org. Court Filing, Case No. 8:25-cv-00592-FMO-KES
The tour at the center of the dispute has continued. The Mayhem Ball grossed approximately $419.5 million across 92 shows worldwide, pushing Gaga’s career touring total past $1 billion.16Billboard. Lady Gaga’s Mayhem: Biggest Tour of Her Career Lost Surfboards, by comparison, is a privately held company with estimated annual revenue of around $4.2 million and roughly 60 employees.17Owler. Lost Surfboards Company Profile