Tyler Perry Studios quietly renamed its political comedy “She the People” last week amid ongoing litigation accusing Tyler Perry and series star and executive producer Terri J. Vaughn of lifting the name of the Netflix comedy from the political nonprofit of the same name.

Vaughn, Tyler Vision LLC and Netflix were sued earlier this year by She the People founder Aimee Allison for trademark infringement and unfair competition. The activist claimed that the Mississippi capitol-set comedy series stole its name from her own trademarked work. Allison’s nonprofit was founded to empower and embolden women of color in a new political era; the Netflix series follows Vaughn as Antoinette Dunkerson, the Magnolia State’s first Black lieutenant governor.

The trademark infringement lawsuit was filed in California on May 19, just ahead of the May 22 series premiere of “She the People” on Netflix. On July 4, the streamer debuted the trailer for Season 1 Part 2 of the series, additionally revealing its title change to “Miss Governor.” The second half of Season 1 debuts Aug. 14.

“Since at least 2018, Ms. Allison has used the ‘She the People’ mark continuously and prominently to identify and distinguish her nationally recognized work to advance the political voice, leadership and influence of women of color,” the lawsuit read. “Under this mark, Ms. Allison launched the first national summit centering women of color in politics in 2018, convened the first presidential forum focused on women of color in 2019, and has continuously used the mark across major media, philanthropic and civic platforms.”

In the suit, Allison claims that she’s been in possession of the trademark “She the People” since 2018, covering political commentary, conferences, blogs, books, and podcasts. Court documents also state that on Sept. 8, 2024, Perry’s Tyler Vision filed to trademark the phrase “She the People” for his television series, but the application was denied in April last year “because of a likelihood of confusion with Allison’s registrations.”

The plaintiff also alleges that she worked with series star and EP Vaughn through her Nina Holiday Entertainment production company in 2020 on a documentary series about women of color in politics, also titled “She the People.”

“Vaughn worked directly with Allison on this project,” the suit reads. “Among other things, Vaughn worked with Allison to develop themes for the documentary, arrange and conduct interviews with subjects and prepare pitch decks to promote and seek funding for the documentary.” The lawsuit claims all intellectual property was to be retained by Allison’s She the People nonprofit.

As it relates to Vaughn’s Netflix series, Allison claims that the series’ title “falsely indicates to consumers that the parties are sponsored by, affiliated with, or related to each other.” The nonprofit, according its website, has a “mission to build power for women of color to lead America to a new political era.” It utilizes educational programs, media, writing and live events to uplift the political power of women of color.

“The infringing mark is identical to Allison’s She the People mark,” the suit reads, stating that the show features political themes that resonate with women of color that closely overlap with the Allison’s original brand mission. “Defendants’ actions are deliberate, willful and constitute a knowing violation.”

The suit demands a trial by jury and that Perry stop the use of “She the People,” that promotion of the Netflix series under that title be blocked, that Perry’s Tyler Vision abandon his trademark application. Allison’s suit also requests monetary relief for damages, attorney’s fees and costs and punitive damages.

Representatives for Netflix declined TheWrap’s request for comment.