Taylor Swift Files Trademarks for Voice, Image vs AI

Taylor Swift filed three trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on April 24 to safeguard her voice and likeness against artificial intelligence misuse.

The applications, submitted by her company TAS Rights Management through attorney Rebecca Liebowitz of Venable LLP, include two sound marks featuring Swift's voice saying "Hey, it's Taylor Swift" and "Hey, it's Taylor." These phrases originated from clips she recorded to promote her album The Tortured Poets Department, also known as The Life of a Showgirl, on platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music. The third is a visual trademark depicting a promotional photograph from her Eras Tour, showing Swift on stage holding a pink guitar with a black strap, wearing a multicolored iridescent bodysuit and silver boots, standing on a pink stage in front of a multicolored microphone with purple lights in the background. The image previously promoted the Disney concert film of the tour.

The filings address rising concerns over AI-generated content exploiting celebrities' identities. Swift's likeness has appeared without permission in AI fakes, including explicit images, Meta's AI chatbots, and a fabricated 2024...