A RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant escaped an ex-adult film actress’ attempt to block her use of the “Lexi Love” stage name while the parties’ trademark dispute over the moniker moves forward.
Judge Richard Seeborg denied Selena Scola’s motion for a preliminary injunction because it’s unclear who started using the name first, according to an order issued April 17 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California.
Cody Barnes, a professional drag performer who goes by Lexi Love, says she began using the name in 2009. After Barnes was announced as a cast member of the popular TV show RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2024, Scola sent cease and desist letters to Barnes, show producer World of Wonder Productions Inc., and Paramount Skydance Corporation. Barnes, WOW, and Paramount continued to use the name.
Barnes sued Scola in December, accusing her of harassment by filing hundreds of takedown requests against her social media accounts and pressuring venues and third parties to cancel bookings. The lawsuit asserted infringement claims against Scola and seeks to invalidate the “Lexi Love” trademark registration she received in 2025 for entertainment services from the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Scola countersued Barnes, WOW, and Paramount for infringement, claiming her use of the name dates back to 2004. She first performed under the name in adult films, and later expanded into films, TV shows, commercials, and influencing, according to court filings.
Though Scola’s trademark registration implies she had rights to the name beginning in 2024, Seeborg said many questions remain since both entertainers claim senior use. He noted that Barnes seems to have used stage names besides “Lexi Love” since her alleged first use in 2009, and that Scola’s first example of use after leaving the adult film industry is in 2012.
“While Scola’s trademark claims warrant serious concern, they hinge on a factual record rife with questions about whose use of the name expanded into which channels first,” Seeborg wrote. “Injunctive relief cannot issue on such a record.”
Nixon Peabody LLP represents Barnes. Winthrop Law Group PC represents Scola.
The case is Barnes v. Scola, N.D. Cal., No. 25-cv-10837, 4/17/26.
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