Pop superstar Taylor Swift is ensuring that she won’t be ripped off by artificial intelligence by filing a trademark to seemingly protect her image and signature vocals
Popstar Taylor Swift has reportedly applied to trademark her voice and appearance in an attempt to protect herself from artificial intelligence impersonations which so many artists have been subjected to including herself in recent months.
The Fate of Ophelia hitmaker, 36, has filed three applications in the US to trademark her signature voice and likeness -Including the now iconic image of herself on stage during the Eras tour sporting a sparkly bodysuit and pink guitar.
She’s also attempting to trademark two audio clips recorded during promo for her latest album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
Swift’s savvy move comes after she’s found herself being targeted by AI-generated content over the years, including being the star of a Donald Trump ad, and sexually suggestive deepfakes.
In the audio she’s attempting to trademark she can be heard saying “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift”, and although these are only short clips it could help prevent the use of her voice being used in AI content generally, and the trademarked picture may stop her image being used altogether.
Trademark lawyer Josh Gerben explained: “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.
“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.
“Same with the image filing. If someone creates an AI-generated version of Taylor in a jumpsuit with a guitar, or something close to it, now Swift has a federal trademark claim.”
Tay isn’t the only star who has been the victim of AI-generated content, a song cloning Drake and The Weeknd’s voice recently caused confusion amongst their fans.
Many actors have raised concerns around the use of AI in the creative industry including Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks and Bryan Cranston.
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