I Am Lexi Love®: The Real-World Harm of Trademark Confusion

I began using Lexi Love in entertainment in 2004. Twenty years later, World of Wonder and MTV began promoting Cody/Claire Barnes under my federally registered trademark for RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17.

Barnes’s story deserves respect. So does mine. I have the right to protect the name, career, and business I spent twenty-two years building across film, television, and music. After trademark enforcement on Instagram, X, Apple Music, Facebook, and Spotify in December 2024, Paramount/Skydance and World of Wonder executives intervened to restore Barnes’s accounts and continue promoting her under my name. A severe harassment campaign followed, including exposure of my private identity, coordinated pile-ons, death threats, threats of physical violence, slut-shaming, and false reporting intended to destroy my business.

Extortion followed. Barnes weaponized the press and her fanbase against me, while her counsel threatened litigation unless I surrendered my U.S. and international trademarks. When I refused, Barnes filed a December 2025 federal lawsuit to cancel my active federal trademark, Lexi Love. In March 2026, I filed federal counterclaims against Barnes, Paramount, and World of Wonder. Although my preliminary-injunction request was denied, the district court rejected the networks’ motion to dismiss as well. The court ruled that Paramount and World of Wonder used “Lexi Love” to identify and promote a performer across national television, paid streaming platforms, and social media for financial benefit. The judge stated: “In short, ‘Lexi Love’ is used as a mark.”

My preliminary-injunction appeal now awaits a hearing date. A successful appeal could bring an immediate, court-ordered halt to the unauthorized commercial exploitation of my name, business, and brand while the case proceeds.

Stay tuned. Like, share, repost, and visit my website for updates.