Taylor Swift vs AI and the power of trade marks

The rise of artificial intelligence is creating new legal challenges and raising new questions about how public figures can protect their image, voice and reputation. One developing legal route is trade mark protection.

Actor Matthew McConaughey was the first celeb to use trademarks to try and protect his voice and image from AI misuse.

And now Taylor Swift is getting in on the act.  

AI, likeness and the rise of digital copycats

Her face and voice are everywhere including AI-generated versions of her in the digital space, ranging from explicit images to a fake election ad for Donald Trump.

In a bid to stop AI using her likeness and voice, Taylor’s representatives have filed three trade mark applications in the US (more countries may follow) to protect her voice and appearance from AI and other copycats.

What has been filed?

One application is pictorial, an official promo photo for the Disney+ Eras Tour film of Taylor on stage "holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots".

The other two are audio clips of her introducing herself saying "Hey, it's Taylor" and "Hey, it's Taylor Swift" from Spotify and Amazon Music clips promoting her 2025 album Life of a Showgirl.

Why trade marks matter

Trade mark applications are a cost-effective and novel way for anyone in the public eye to fight the burgeoning problem of AI knock-offs.

The image and audio do not need to be copied exactly by the infringer: if something is so similar that it could lead to genuine public confusion then that can constitute trade mark infringement, which is a much easier thing to enforce than if there is no trade mark.

A growing legal issue

Even though it is celebs who have started weaponising trade marks against the use of their likeness/sound by AI (and other copycats), the trend could spread much more widely as AI develops.  
In future, we may all have to own trade marks of what we look and sound like to stop us from being cloned.

From a legal perspective, these developments highlight the growing importance of intellectual property rights in responding to AI-generated misuse. While the law in this area is still evolving, trade marks may offer one route to challenge content that causes confusion or suggests a false connection or endorsement.

If you have any intellectual property queries, including trade marks, please contact Brian Levine, our Legal 500 recommended expert, at [email protected].