Taylor Swift Moves To Trademark Voice And Likeness As AI Fears Grow

Taylor Swift has moved to trademark elements of her voice and visual likeness as part of an effort to prevent misuse by developers working with artificial intelligence technology.

Recently, legal representatives for the global pop star submitted three separate filings to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

One of the submissions focuses on a particular image of Taylor, showing her onstage holding a pink guitar while dressed in a shimmering bodysuit paired with silver boots during The Eras Tour.

The remaining two filings cover short audio phrases of her voice, including “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift”.

The Opalite artist recorded those lines while promoting her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, in the previous year.

Ownership of the filings is listed under Taylor’s company, TAS Rights Management.

Spokespeople for the 36 year old have not publicly addressed the filings so far.

However, trademark lawyer Josh Gerben, who initially revealed the applications through his blog, said the filings appear to be “specifically designed to protect Taylor from threats posed by artificial intelligence”.

“The filings arrive as AI generated content continues to create problems in the entertainment industry. Musicians and actors have increasingly found their voices and images used in unauthorized videos, songs, and digital content that is created by AI and circulated online,” he wrote. “While existing right of ‘Right of Publicity’ laws offer some protection against unauthorized use of a famous individual’s likeness, trademark filings can provide an additional layer of protection.”

Taylor is not alone among high profile figures taking steps to guard their identity against digital impersonation.

Earlier this year, legal representatives for Matthew McConaughey confirmed they secured eight trademarks connected to his voice and likeness.

Included in those filings was a sound mark tied to the actor’s well known phrase “Alright, alright, alright!”, which he originally delivered in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused.