Taylor Swift Seeks Trademarks for Voice and Image to Combat AI Deepfake Risks

Taylor Swift has taken proactive legal measures to safeguard her identity in the era of artificial intelligence by filing trademark applications for her voice and image. On Friday, Swift's company submitted three trademark applications to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Two of these applications seek protection for her voice speaking the phrases "Hey, it's Taylor Swift," and "Hey, it's Taylor." The third application covers an image of Swift posing on stage while holding a guitar.

Josh Gerben, an intellectual property attorney at Gerben IP who first identified the filings, explained to CBS News that such protections are increasingly necessary as AI tools enable the creation of audio, visual, and video content known as "deepfakes." These deepfakes can depict celebrities saying or doing things they never actually did, potentially causing reputational harm.

"Now, anyone can spin up a version of an artist's voice, have it say anything, attach it to anything, and distribute it at scale. And the scary part? It doesn't have to be an exact copy to cause damage," Gerben wrote in a blog post discussing the trademark applications.

Gerben further told CBS News that Swift's filings are likely to trigger a wave of similar trademark applications from other public figures. He praised Swift as a "leader in the intellectual property space" and predicted that more celebrities will follow her example.

"I think she is seeing a trend where AI is being used to create images, to create audio, to create deepfakes of things that are really not pleasant," Gerben said. "And the idea is how can celebrities and people that have a certain level of fame go to these platforms and say, 'Hey, you can't let your algorithm or your AI create these things.'"

This approach is not unique to Swift. Actor Matthew McConaughey has also filed to trademark his iconic line from the film "Dazed and Confused," "Alright, alright, alright," signaling a broader trend among celebrities to protect their distinctive expressions and likenesses.

Gerben noted that existing trademark laws can help deter unauthorized use and confusion with original material. However, these laws were established before the advent of advanced AI technologies, which now make it easier to produce convincing but unauthorized content.

As AI-generated deepfakes become more prevalent, Swift's trademark filings underscore the evolving challenges faced by public figures in protecting their personal brands and identities in the digital age.