Pop superstar Taylor Swift has submitted trademark applications for two audio clips and one photograph of herself, marking a strategic move to protect her identity from unauthorized artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes, according to a trademark attorney.
Swift’s company, TAS Rights Management, is listed as the owner of the image and audio snippets in filings made with the US Patent and Trademark Office on Friday. The applications come amid a surge of AI-generated content that has misappropriated Swift’s voice and likeness, including explicit imagery, fake political endorsements, and deceptive advertisements.
One of the audio samples features Swift saying, “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift, and you can listen to my new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ on demand on Amazon Music Unlimited.” The photograph she is seeking to trademark shows her performing live in a sequined costume while holding a pink guitar.
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who first reported the filings on his blog, explained that these applications “are specifically designed to protect Taylor from threats posed by artificial intelligence.” He noted that while existing ‘Right of Publicity’ laws offer some protection against unauthorized use of a famous person’s likeness, “trademark filings can offer an additional layer of protection.”
Gerben highlighted that registering a celebrity’s voice as a trademark is a novel legal strategy that has not yet been tested in court. Traditionally, vocalists have relied on copyright laws to safeguard their recorded songs. However, AI technologies now allow users to generate entirely original content that mimics an artist’s voice without copying an existing recording, creating a legal gap that trademarks might help fill.
Similarly, the image Swift is attempting to trademark serves a comparable purpose. “Swift’s team may gain additional grounds to pursue claims against manipulated or AI-generated images that evoke her likeness by protecting a distinctive visual, down to Swift’s frequently worn jumpsuit and pose,” Gerben wrote.
Actor Matthew McConaughey has already secured similar trademark protections. “We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world,” McConaughey told the Wall Street Journal in January.
If successful, Swift’s approach could establish a new legal standard for how public figures protect their likenesses in the age of AI, potentially shaping the future legal framework for combating AI impersonation in the entertainment industry.