Taylor Swift’s team has lodged trademark applications to protect two short spoken lines — “Hey, it's Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it's Taylor” — a move observers say is aimed at combating AI-generated imitation and deepfake imagery. TAS Rights Management submitted audio clips of Swift saying the lines and a stage photo as evidence in the filings.

What Swift filed TAS Rights Management, the company that handles many of Taylor Swift’s commercial rights, applied for trademarks covering two short audio phrases and a photograph of the singer on stage. The filings include audio clips in which Swift says the phrases as part of a promotion, and a stage photo attached to the application. How trademarks could be used against AI copies A trademark can protect signs, sounds or images used to identify the source of goods or services. In practical terms, that could mean: - Challenging AI-generated songs or clips that use a protected vocal phrase in a way likely to cause consumer confusion about origin. - Seeking takedowns or legal action where imagery closely mirrors a trademarked photo tied to commercial offerings. - Creating an additional legal route beyond copyright for artists whose distinctive phrases or visual signatures serve as brand identifiers. What trademark law requires Trademark law treats sound marks differently from longer slogans or messages. Recognised sound marks tend to be audio cues used on their own to signal a single source (examples include the NBC chimes or the MGM lion roar). Examiners typically look for evidence that a sound has been used in commerce as an identifier separate from a longer promotional statement. Some scholars are sceptical the short spoken clips in Swift’s filings will be accepted as standalone marks. Alexandra Roberts, a professor of law and media at Northeastern University, said she is "sceptical" that the audio will be treated as a distinct brand identifier rather than part of a longer promotional phrase. If regulators view the clips as embedded marketing, they could require proof of distinct, consistent use before granting registration. Practical limits on policing AI Even if a trademark office grants protection, enforcement remains challenging. A registered mark lets the owner sue or seek takedowns for uses likely to confuse consumers about origin, but tracking and removing AI-generated imitations that spread across platforms and borders can be difficult. Trademark remedies are therefore a potential complement to, but not a wholesale replacement for, other legal and technical approaches to AI-driven imitation.

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Trademark protection could give artists another legal route to challenge AI imitations, but enforcement is difficult — and, as Alexandra Roberts puts it, she is "sceptical" the audio will be treated as a standalone brand identifier rather than part of a longer promotional phrase.

This article was created with AI assistance.