Woman Suing Taylor Swift Seeks to Stop Release of Eras Tour Disney+ Docuseries
A Florida woman suing Taylor Swift for copyright infringement is now asking a federal court to halt the release of Swift’s forthcoming Disney+ docuseries, The End of an Era. The six-part series, which chronicles the development and cultural impact of Swift’s Eras Tour, is scheduled to begin streaming on December 12.
The plaintiff, Kimberly Marasco, filed a motion for a preliminary injunction on Monday, arguing that the docuseries contains material she claims Swift copied from her poetry. Marasco asserts that allowing the episodes to stream globally would cause her “irreparable harm,” and is seeking court intervention before the first two episodes are released.
The court has not yet issued a ruling on Marasco’s request.
Details of the Copyright Allegations
Marasco is suing Swift, Universal Music Group, and Republic Records, alleging that lyrics and visuals across several of Swift’s albums were derived from Marasco’s written work. The complaint specifically targets Lover, Folklore, Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department, claiming Swift and her co-defendants “copied her poetry” in songs and promotional materials associated with those records.
This lawsuit is not Marasco’s first against Swift. A previous case was dismissed after Marasco failed to serve Swift within the time required by the court. The portion of that case against Taylor Swift Productions was dismissed with prejudice in September.
Swift’s legal team has consistently rejected the claims. In a May memorandum, attorneys James Douglas Baldridge and Katherine Wright Morrone accused Marasco of “continuing to assert utterly frivolous copyright infringement claims” against the singer. They argued the allegations lacked factual or legal merit.
Docuseries at the Center of the Dispute
The End of an Era, produced for Disney+, is described by the company as a documentary series “chronicling the development, impact, and inner-workings” of Swift’s global Eras Tour. The six-episode series features appearances from Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter, Travis Kelce, Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch, members of Swift’s band, her dancers, crew and family.
Two episodes are slated to debut each week beginning December 12.
Swift promoted the project last month on Instagram, posting, “It was the End of an Era and we knew it. We wanted to remember every moment leading up to the culmination of the most important and intense chapter of our lives, so we allowed filmmakers to capture this tour and all the stories woven throughout it as it wound down.”
Marasco claims that if the docuseries contains infringing material, its global distribution would permanently entrench that content into popular culture. In her motion, she wrote, “Once the docuseries is broadcast globally, Plaintiff’s works will be irreversibly embedded in cultural products beyond Plaintiff’s reach, without any credit or acknowledgment of Plaintiff’s material.”
Marasco further argues, “Absent injunctive relief, Plaintiff will suffer irreparable harm that monetary damages cannot remedy. The balance of equities and public interest strongly favor protecting Plaintiff’s rights.”
Songs Cited in the Allegations
As part of the injunction request, Marasco asked the court to halt the streaming, sale, or performance of songs she alleges contain infringing content. She listed numerous titles from Swift’s catalog, including:
“The Man”
“My Tears Ricochet”
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
“Hoax”
“Illicit Affairs”
“Guilty As Sin?”
“Clara Bow”
“Down Bad”
“The Manuscript”
“Midnight Rain”
“Robin”
“Invisible String”
“The Great War”
Alternatively, Marasco asked the court to require removal or editing of the alleged infringing content before the docuseries is released.
What Comes Next
The court has not yet indicated when it will decide on the preliminary injunction. If granted, the ruling could delay the release of The End of an Era or require Disney+ to edit certain material before making the series available to subscribers.
If denied, the docuseries is expected to begin streaming as scheduled on December 12. Marasco’s underlying copyright lawsuit would continue regardless of the injunction outcome.
Taylor Swift, one of the most commercially successful artists in music history, has faced copyright disputes before. However, courts have not found merit in prior claims against her, including Marasco’s first lawsuit, which was dismissed earlier this year.
For now, the future of the highly anticipated docuseries remains in the hands of the court, as Swift’s legal team and Disney await a decision on whether the release will proceed on schedule.
If you’re a Taylor Swift fan waiting for the new docuseries, share this story so others know what’s going on behind the scenes, and why the release could be affected.