The real Slim Shady? Eminem sues Australian company Swim Shady for trademark infringement | Eminem
Eminem has filed a lawsuit against Australian beach brand Swim Shady, claiming his name is too close to the name of his trademarked alter ego, Slim Shady.
The 53-year-old rapper, whose real name is Marshall B Mathers III. petitioned It decided to cancel Swim Shady’s US trademark just days after it was successfully granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in September.
Eminem’s petition to the USPTO argues that Swim Shady’s name could cause confusion and that he is incorrectly linked to the Sydney-based company that sells umbrellas, swim bags, towels and shorts for sun protection.
The rapper also claims his Australian trademark has been infringed by Swim Shady, which launched as a business in Australia in December last year.
Eminem’s legal team filed an objection against the company’s trademark in Australia in October 2024.
Swim Shady owner Jeremy Scott confirmed to Guardian Australia that legal action had been taken and said the company would fight the allegations.
“Swim Shady is a well-established Australian company born to protect people from the harsh Australian sun,” Scott said in a joint statement with partner Elizabeth Afrakoff.
“We will defend our valuable intellectual property.
“Given that the matter is before the courts, we do not propose to say anything further at this time.”
Before the release of Swim Shady, Eminem owned the trademarks for Shady and Shady Limited in Australia, but not Slim Shady. He later filed a trademark for Slim Shady in Australia in January 2025.
Swim Shady has since filed non-use applications against Eminem’s Shady and Shady Limited trademarks in Australia, arguing that they have not been used consistently.
Eminem he also battles the hosts of the Reasonably Shady podcastGizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon are claiming trademark infringement in a lawsuit dating back to 2023.
He successfully won NZ$600,000 (later AU$535,000/£315,000) in 2017 after New Zealand’s high court ruled that the ruling National party had infringed the rapper’s copyright in a 2014 election campaign ad that used strains of his hit Lose Yourself.
Eminem isn’t the first rapper to get into a trademark fight with an Australian business. In 2022, Kanye West took legal action against Melbourne burger shop College Dropout Burgers, but the lawsuit He was dismissed by an Australian federal court in 2023 after the rapper and his legal team failed to show up.
And in 2019, Jay-Z sued Australian business The Little Homie, claiming it violated his intellectual property rights with an illustrated book titled From the EU to Jay-Z. An ad for AB to Jay-Z read: “If you got alphabet problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but my ABC ain’t one!”
The case was resolved after mediation, with Little Homie agreeing to no longer use Jay-Z’s name or lyrics.
The Guardian has contacted Eminem’s lawyers for comment.
