Taylor Swift applies for trademark to protect vocal identity amid AI deepfakes.
Taylor Swift filed trademark applications on Friday to protect two audio clips of her voice and a third image of herself onstage. The first clip states, “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift, and you can listen to my new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ on Amazon Music Unlimited.” The second clip, spoken in a lower register, announces the album’s release date of October 3 and directs listeners to pre‑save it on Spotify. The image trademark covers a photo of Swift wearing a sparkly bodysuit and playing a pink guitar.
Swift has faced multiple deep‑fake incidents, ranging from fabricated endorsements to sexually suggestive footage. She is not the first celebrity to use trademarks against AI misuse; former actor Matthew McConaughey filed similar applications in January. Trademark lawyer Josh Gerben notes that registering a celebrity voice is a new, largely untested use of trademark law that could offer legal recourse against confusingly similar AI‑generated content.
The applications are listed under attorney Rebecca Liebowitz, who has not yet commentated. Swift’s spokesperson has also not responded. The move follows a broader trend of public figures seeking legal tools to curb unauthorized AI reproductions of their likenesses.