Taylor Swift Trademarks Voice And Likeness To Combat AI Misuse

Taylor Swift has filed three trademark applications with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to protect against unauthorized AI use of her identity. Swift’s company submitted two sound trademarks on April 24th covering her voice saying “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it’s Taylor.” A third visual trademark protects a specific photograph showing Swift holding a pink guitar while wearing a multi-colored bodysuit and silver boots on a pink stage. Swift’s likeness has already appeared in unauthorized AI-generated content, including Meta chatbots and pornographic images. Her new strategy provides federal court options beyond traditional state right-of-publicity laws. “Theoretically, if a lawsuit were to be filed over an AI using Swift’s voice, she could claim that any use of her voice that sounds like the registered trademark violates her trademark rights,” intellectual property attorney Josh Gerben explained.