Eminem Protects Brand, Sues 'Swim Shady'

American rapper Eminem has taken legal action against an Australian beachwear company called Swim Shady.

sarah

Nov 18, 2025 - 22:18

Eminem Protects Brand, Sues 'Swim Shady'

American rapper Eminem has taken legal action against an Australian beachwear company called Swim Shady. He claims the company's name is too similar to his trademarked rap pseudonym, Slim Shady.

In September, Eminem – whose real name is Marshall B. Mathers III – filed a petition with the US Patent and Trademark Office seeking to cancel the trademark granted to the company. According to US law, the company must respond to the petition by next week.

Lawyers for the 53-year-old rapper accused the Sydney-based brand of creating a "false association" with Eminem.

Swim Shady said in a statement that it will "protect its valuable intellectual property."

According to Australia's trade regulator, the company's name was registered in September 2023 and was originally launched under the name Slim Shady. It will officially launch in 2024.

The brand sells portable beach umbrellas, swim bags, and other beach accessories.

Earlier this year, the brand filed a trademark in the US for the term "Swim Shady," which was approved. Shortly thereafter, Eminem's team filed a petition to cancel the trademark.

Eminem has also filed a petition in Australia challenging the brand's name.

The company stated, "Swim Shady is a grassroots Australian company founded with the desire to create stylish and effective sun shades and other products to protect against the harsh Australian sun." The company further stated that it could not comment further due to the ongoing legal case.

Court documents reveal that Eminem trademarked the name Slim Shady in the US in 1999 with the release of his album of the same name. However, he only filed a trademark for the name Slim Shady in Australia in January 2025.

Eminem rose to fame in 2000 with the release of his hit single "The Real Slim Shady," for which he won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.

His lawyers stated that the name has become "distinctive and well-known" and is specifically associated with his rap career.

Sydney-based intellectual property legal firm Meyer West IP is listed as Slim Shady's legal representative.

Last year, an Australian court overturned an earlier ruling that American pop star Katy Perry had infringed on Australian designer Katy Perry's trademark.

The Australian designer sells clothing under her birth name and had accused the California Girls singer of trademark infringement when she sold the merchandise during her 2014 Australian tour.

Katy Perry compared the legal confrontation at the time to a clash between David and Goliath.