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Taylor Swift has filed new trademark applications for two audio clips and an image that a trademark lawyer claims are “specifically designed” to protect the pop superstar from threats from artificial intelligence.
The filing highlights the challenges that AI poses to the entertainment industry, as AI tools generate realistic videos of famous performers and performers. Flooding streaming platforms with digital music.
Swift’s Filed Friday with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, joined by hundreds of other applications A trademark application that lists her company, TAS Rights Management, as the owner.
What makes these applications unique is that they include “sound marks,” a “lesser known category of trademark protection,” Josh Gerben, a U.S.-based trademark attorney and founder of Gerben IP, said in a blog post on Monday. “The attempt to register a celebrity’s speaking voice is a new use of trademark registration that has never been tried before in court,” he said.
In one audio clip, Swift can be heard saying, “Hi, I’m Taylor Swift. My new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ is available on demand on Amazon Music Unlimited.”
In the other clip, she says, “Hello! I’m Taylor. My new album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ will be released on October 3rd. Click to pre-save to listen on Spotify.”
The image Swift is trying to protect is a photo of her on stage holding a pink guitar and wearing a sequined outfit. This is an iconic look from the recent Elas tour around the world.
Actor Matthew McConaughey has filed similar applications in recent months to protect his voice and image, Garven said, “testing new theories about how trademark law works in the age of AI.”
The filing comes as traditional copyright laws, which protect artists’ works from copying, fail to protect AI-generated content. “AI technology allows users to generate entirely new content that mimics an artist’s voice without having to copy existing recordings, creating a gap that trademarks could help fill,” Garven said.
In theory, Swift could argue in a lawsuit that things like the use of a voice that sounds like a trademark or an AI-generated image of her wearing a jumpsuit and holding a guitar violate her rights, she added..
Leticia Caminero, an intellectual property lawyer at the World Intellectual Property Organization, said Swift has filed more than 300 trademark applications in the U.S. alone, a strategy that will help “strengthen” her brand.
CNN has reached out to Swift’s attorney for comment.
