ISLAMABAD: Pop star Taylor Swift has filed trademark applications in the United States to protect her voice and image, in what appears to be a move against growing AI-driven impersonations.
Swift submitted three trademark applications — one featuring a photograph of her performing during her Eras Tour and two involving audio clips of her introducing herself while promoting her latest album.
The move follows a rise in AI-generated content involving Swift in recent years, including explicit fake images and a fabricated political advertisement that falsely showed her encouraging people to vote for Donald Trump.
Earlier this year, actor Matthew McConaughey became the first celebrity to seek trademark protection for his voice and image to prevent AI misuse.
Using trademark law to protect likeness and voice is emerging as a new legal strategy for celebrities facing unauthorized AI-generated reproductions.
According to the filing, the selected image shows Swift on stage “holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots.” The same image was previously used in promotional material for the Disney+ film of the Eras Tour.
She has also sought trademark rights for the phrases “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” taken from promotional recordings for Spotify and Amazon Music linked to her album The Life of a Showgirl last autumn.
Trademark lawyer Josh Gerben said registering these phrases and visuals could help Swift challenge not only direct copies but also AI-generated versions that are “confusingly similar,” a key standard in trademark law.
He noted that if an AI-generated voice closely resembles Swift’s registered audio trademarks, she could argue it infringes on her trademark rights. Similarly, AI-created images resembling her signature stage appearance could also face legal challenges under federal trademark law.
