April 30, 2026 | 11:35 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pop star Taylor Swift submitted several trademark applications on Friday, April 24, 2024. The move is widely viewed as a strategic effort to safeguard her identity against the proliferation of AI-generated content currently circulating across social media platforms.
As reported by IGN, these intellectual property filings were first highlighted by Josh Gerben, an attorney at Gerben IP. The submissions were spearheaded by Swift's copyright management arm, TAS Rights Management.
Three specific applications were filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office. Two of these seek to protect the voice of the 14-time Grammy winner, specifically saying the phrases "Hey, it's Taylor Swift" and "Hey, it's Taylor."
The third application covers a highly detailed image described as: "A photograph of Taylor Swift holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots. She is standing on a pink stage in front of a multi-colored microphone with purple lights in the background."
The Misuse of Taylor Swift's Image
Variety has noted that Swift’s likeness has been frequently exploited without authorization in various deepfake AI images. This includes misuse by a Meta-owned chatbot and, more disturbingly, the alteration of her image into pornographic content that has circulated online.
Additionally, Swift’s image was weaponized as part of a political campaign during the 2024 US presidential election. At that time, Donald Trump shared an AI-generated image of Swift that inaccurately implied the 36-year-old Pennsylvania-born singer was offering him her endorsement.
Following Matthew McConaughey's Lead
Swift’s filing follows a precedent set by actor Matthew McConaughey, who secured similar protections. In 2025, the US Patent and Trademark Office granted eight trademarks to the Interstellar star.
These protections include the audio of McConaughey’s signature catchphrase, "Alright, alright, alright!" originally from the film Dazed and Confused, as well as various other audio and video clips of the actor and producer.
Legal Regulation Challenges
While various US Publicity Rights Laws are designed to prevent the misappropriation of a celebrity's brand for commercial gain, The Hollywood Reporter suggests that enforcement remains a challenge, as several states lack equivalent legislation.
By securing these trademarks, Swift and McConaughey likely hope that the threat of federal litigation will act as a deterrent. Hypothetically, Swift could now argue that AI creations mimicking her voice or image constitute a violation of her intellectual property rights.
However, Matthew Asbell, an intellectual property attorney at Lippes Mathias, cautioned that this legal theory remains largely untested. "I don’t believe it will be very effective, except for in rare circumstances," Asbell remarked.
He further noted that the specific phrases being trademarked are currently more legally significant than the inherent quality of the singer’s voice itself. "So, unless another party uses [her] voice to say the same thing or something very similar, it should be difficult to use these trademarks to enforce against them," he added.
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