Taylor Swift Files Trademark Applications to Protect Her Voice and Image From AI Impersonation
Pop superstar seeks legal protection against AI-generated deepfakes after similar move by Matthew McConaughey
Quick Look
- Taylor Swift has filed three US trademark applications to protect her voice and image from AI impersonations, becoming the latest celebrity to use trademark law against deepfakes.
- The applications include a photo from her Eras Tour and audio clips of her introducing herself for album promotions.
- The move follows Matthew McConaughey's similar attempt earlier this year, as celebrities increasingly seek legal tools to combat AI-generated replicas.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Celebrities are increasingly turning to trademark law as a new tool to protect their voices and images from AI-generated deepfakes. Taylor Swift has been a prominent target of AI impersonations, including explicit images and a fake political advertisement. The legal strategy allows celebrities to challenge not only identical reproductions but also 'confusingly similar' imitations.
Taylor Swift has applied to trademark her voice and appearance in an apparent attempt to protect herself from artificial intelligence impersonations. The pop superstar has lodged three trademark applications in the US - one using a photo of herself on stage during her Eras Tour, and the other two being audio clips of her introducing herself while promoting her last album.
AI-generated versions of Swift have cropped up in various ways in recent years - from explicit images to a fake election ad in which she appeared to urge people to vote for Donald Trump. The move comes after actor Matthew McConaughey became the first celebrity to use trademark rules to attempt to protect his voice and image from AI misuse earlier this year.
Trademark applications are a relatively new way for celebrities to combat the growing issue of AI rip-offs. The photo chosen to represent Swift's image shows her on stage "holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots", according to the trademark application. It has previously been used as one of the official promotional photos for the Disney+ film of the Eras tour.
She has also applied to trademark audio of herself saying "Hey, it's Taylor" and "Hey, it's Taylor Swift" from clips she recorded for Spotify and Amazon Music to promote her album The Life of a Showgirl last autumn. Even if the photo and sound clips aren't copied directly, registering their trademarks could allow her to stop AI using her image and voice more generally, according to trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, who first published details of the applications on his blog.
"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," he wrote. "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."
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
More celebrities will file similar trademark applications to protect their voices and images from AI
Very likely · Within months
Trademark law will face new challenges in defining 'confusingly similar' AI voices
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- Will the trademark applications be approved?
- How will trademark law apply to AI-generated voices that sound similar but not identical?
- What other celebrities might follow this approach?
