FKA Twigs has won a key ruling in her trademark dispute with indie band The Twigs after a federal judge dismissed the group's infringement claims because they waited too long to bring them. The Tuesday decision marks a setback for twin sisters Laura and Linda Good, who perform as The Twigs and had accused the singer, born Tahliah Barnett, of infringing rights to their band's name.
The dispute stretches back more than a decade. The Goods first sued Barnett in 2014, arguing that her use of the FKA Twigs name infringed trademark rights they had established years earlier. After a judge denied their request for an early injunction, the sisters voluntarily dismissed the case. Barnett continued performing and releasing music as FKA Twigs, while the Goods did not raise new objections until 2024.
That delay was central to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff's ruling. Rakoff found the infringement claims were barred by laches, a legal doctrine that can prevent a party from pursuing a claim after an unreasonable delay. He noted that the Goods knew of Barnett's use of the name by 2013 and had already sued over it in 2014, but took no further action for roughly a decade.
The sisters argued that an exception should apply because Barnett's alleged infringement was intentional. Rakoff rejected that argument, finding that their pleadings did not support an inference that Barnett deliberately sought to create confusion between herself and The Twigs.
The ruling does not end the broader trademark dispute. Barnett filed her own lawsuit in March seeking a declaration that her use of FKA Twigs does not infringe the Goods' rights and asking the court to prevent them from interfering with her efforts to register the FKA Twigs trademark in the United States. The Goods have separately opposed that registration.
Rakoff indicated that Barnett's remaining claims will proceed through discovery before the court addresses them further.
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