It is a gloomy day for Saddest Factory Records. On June 13, a representative for the company founded by Grammy Award-winning musician Phoebe Bridgers took to Instagram to announce that it would cease operations as the public knows it.
“Due to a trademark dispute around the label’s name, moving forward all SFR releases will come out via Dead Oceans, with our logo sitting alongside the Dead Oceans logo to signify our involvement,” read the post.
To be clear, Saddest Factory Records will still exist as a musical home for acts such as signees Claud and MUNA; however, to ensure intellectual property protections for past, present, and future releases, the label will be folded into its parent company.
Founded in October 2020, the imprint’s name was a sentimental callback to the coined term “saddest factory” from Bridgers’ former bandmate and label signee Haley Dahl (of Sloppy Jane). Back in February of that year, Bridgers initially filed for four trademarks: one for musical sound recordings/musical video recordings, etc.; one for streaming of audio material, visual material, audiovisual material, audio musical recordings, and audiovisual musical recordings, etc.; one for posters, stickers, bumper stickers, and photographs; and lastly one for clothing, namely, tops, bottoms, headwear, hooded sweatshirts, etc.
Simply put, the trademarks were related to the music created by its acts, the music once shared on streaming platforms as well as physical musical releases, label-related promotional materials, and label-related merchandise.
The three latter applications were approved and are currently marked as live registered trademarks owned by Bridgers. But the most important filing for musical sound recordings/musical video recordings is currently listed as dead and abandoned.
In the case status notes on the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s website (viewable here), it reveals that the application was “abandoned after an inter partes decision by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.”
According to the USPTO’s trial and appeal board documents, the application was rejected following a compliment filed by Lucas R. Schurkamp. Schurkamp raised concerns with the filing, stating that it would cause confusion and financial damages to his existing trademark.
Schurkamp, a fellow musician, owns the common law rights of the name for his Michigan-based band, Saddest Factory, and its backing label by the same name. Schurkamp slammed Bridgers for filing for the trademark without properly researching to see if it was actively being used by any other musicians.
Schurkamp’s legal team argued that he had first used the stage name Saddest Factory back in 2004 as part of his “tenancy at Kendall College of Arts and Design of Ferris State University.” They also referred to Schurkamp’s online use of the name as far back as 2008. Schurkamp’s most recent gig as the Saddest Factory took place in December 2025.
Following years of counterfiling and a lengthy trial, it appears by March 31, 2025, a final decision had been entered in favor of Schurkamp. The courts ultimately determined that Bridgers’ trademark application for music and visual recordings would interfere with Schurkamp’s current use of his mark. On July 2, the Bridgers’ application had been terminated.
Again, so as not to fret for fans of Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records current acts Charlie Hickey, Claud, Katie Gavin, MUNA, Sloppy Jane, or Jasmine.4.T, you can still expect more music from them just under the Dead Ocean name.
As the Saddest Factory Records note closed, to stay in tune with Saddest Factory Records and its roster, supporters are encouraged to follow Dead Oceans across social media, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
