Backstreet Boys Seek Trademark Protection Against AI Voice Deepfakes

Backstreet Boys are the latest act seeking trademark protection against AI voice deepfakes, filing an application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The trademark:

• As per Gerben IP, the trademark was filed on June 24.

• It covers the band saying: “Hi, we’re the Backstreet Boys.”

The theory:

• If approved, the trademark could add a layer of legal protection from AI platforms creating fake soundalikes.

• As Gerben points out, however, the strategy of trademarking a single phrase “and then enforcing it against anything that simply sounds similar to the spoken voice” has not been tested in court.

Growing trend:

• Taylor Swift has sought to trademark sound marks of her voice saying, “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” and “Hey, it’s Taylor,” in addition to a visual image.

• Lionel Richie is seeking sound marks for snippets of his song lyrics: “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?”; "Say you, say me”; “Easy like Sunday morning”; and “All night long.”