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Taylor Swift has filed to trademark her voice and image to protect herself against AI-generated content.
Swift filed the applications with the US Patent and Trademark Office covering two audio recordings and a photo of herself on April 24, according to Reuters.
Trademark law has traditionally not covered personal likenessor voice, but actor Matthew McConaughey pioneered the move in 2025 when he secured eight trademarks, according to Variety.
The theory pursued by McConaughey’s legal team is that a trademark could offer additional protection against content generated by artificial intelligence beyond traditional claims, reported Variety.
“Historically, artists haven’t used trademark law this way,” wrote trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, who first publicised the applications on his blog.
“Under US law, songs are protected by copyright. And someone’s likeness or image is protected by ‘right of publicity’ laws.”
Gerben said the advent of generative AI means the current laws were insufficient, although a trademark for a voice hasn’t been tested in court before.
“By registering specific phrases tied to her voice, Swift could potentially challenge not only identical reproductions, but also imitations that are ‘confusingly similar’, a key standard in trademark law,” Gerben wrote.
The filing names Swift’s company, TAS Rights Management, as the owner of the materials. Swift has not commented on the submission.
Taylor Swift performing during her successful Eras Tour. Photo / U.S. Patent & Trademark Office
The audio clips were of Swift promoting her album The Life of a Showgirl. The audio she supplied says: “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift”.
The image was of Swift performing on her Eras Tour, describing her on stage “holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-coloured iridescent bodysuit with silver boots”, according to the trademark application.
“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,” Gerben said.
“Same with the image filing. If someone creates an AI-generated version of Taylor in a jumpsuit with a guitar, or something close to it, now Swift has a federal trademark claim.”
