Taylor Swift Moves to Trademark Her Voice and Image Amid AI Concerns

Taylor Swift has filed three trademark applications relating to her voice and likeness with the US Patent & Trademark Office.

The filings:

• Two are “sound marks,” through which Swift is seeking protection of her voice saying, “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it’s Taylor.”

• The third is a visual image of Swift onstage, holding a pink guitar and wearing a multi-colored body suit with silver accents and boots – a look synonymous with the Eras Tour.

Why it matters:

• The April 24 filings reflect a growing concern about the unauthorized use of artists’ voices and images in AI content.

• Matthew McConaughey recently filed similar trademarks to protect his voice and image.

• Swift’s likeness has previously featured online in fake pornographic images, while Donald Trump shared AI-generated images of Swift in 2024 that (incorrectly) suggested she supported his presidential campaign.

Uncharted territory:

• As Gerben Law explains, registering a celebrity’s spoken voice “is a new use of trademark registration that has not been tested in court before.”

• Gerben says that by registering specific phrases tied to her voice, “Swift could potentially challenge not only identical reproductions, but also imitations that are ‘confusingly similar.’”