Taylor Swift Seeks Trademarks for Her Voice and Image to Fight AI Fakes

Taylor Swift is moving to support her dependable and representation from misuse by artificial quality done a caller ineligible strategy, according to a report from Variety.

On Friday, Swift’s company, TAS Rights Management, filed 3 trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Two are dependable trademarks covering the phrases “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it’s Taylor.” The 3rd is simply a ocular trademark covering a circumstantial representation of Swift performing connected stage.

The filings travel aft AI-generated fakes person repeatedly targeted Swift.

“Very broadly, trademarks tin beryllium utilized to support distinctive sounds and visuals and the name, image, and likeness of an idiosyncratic insofar arsenic it’s utilized successful conjunction with goods oregon services, meaning that Taylor Swift’s usage of trademark instrumentality present is reasonably normal,” Kirk Sigmon, founding spouse astatine IP and Technology instrumentality steadfast KellDann Law, told Decrypt.

“The unsocial happening present is the usage to support against AI misuse. Pragmatically, these efforts mightiness beryllium utile to support herself against misuse from different identifiable actors, specified arsenic companies utilizing AI to falsely suggest she endorses a merchandise oregon service,” helium said.

In 2024, then-candidate Donald Trump shared fabricated images connected Truth Social suggesting Swift and her fans supported his statesmanlike campaign. The incidental led to Swift publically endorsing Kamala Harris for president. In 2025, Elon Musk’s xAI faced backlash aft Grok generated nude images of Swift contempt the company's rules banning pornographic depictions of existent people.

Still, Sigmon said, enforcing those rights online whitethorn beryllium much hard successful practice.

“It mightiness beryllium amazingly hard for her to enforce her rights against AI misuse connected the net writ large, due to the fact that those creating salacious contented with her representation are apt doing truthful anonymously, making them harder to way down,” Sigmon said.

Swift’s determination follows a akin enactment by histrion Matthew McConaughey, who secured trademarks from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office successful January, including protections for his signature operation "alright, alright, alright" from the movie "Dazed and Confused."

While trademark instrumentality has truthful acold not been utilized to support a person’s wide likeness, voice, oregon persona successful court, ineligible experts accidental the filings bespeak increasing interest successful the amusement manufacture implicit AI tools susceptible of replicating artists without consent. However, Swift’s level of personage whitethorn beryllium to beryllium her top plus successful getting the trademark approved.

“Taylor Swift is precise recognizable successful galore ways, including but not constricted to her dependable and wide image,” Sigmon said. “One mightiness quibble astir the magnitude of distinctiveness she could argue, but that isn't apt to outright forestall her from a trademark. It's besides apt she'll person an casual clip showing that her [name, image, and likeness] is associated with a bully oregon service—for instance, her music, instrumentality goods, etc.”