Taylor Swift applies to trademark her voice amid AI concerns

Taylor Swift has applied to trademark her voice and image amid AI concerns. The US pop star submitted three applications to prevent her work from being used to generate fake videos and images.

The applications included an image of herself from the Eras tour, along with two audio clips, depicting her promoting The Life Of A Showgirl. The submitted samples of her voice and visuals allow Swift to file complaints over any potential misuse.

Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who studies applications regarding voice trademarking on his blog, GerbenLaw, said that by registering specific phrases tied to her voice, Swift could "potentially challenge not only identical reproductions, but also imitations that are 'confusingly similar'," which are a key standard in trademark law.

"The image-based filing serves a similar purpose: by protecting a distinctive visual, down to Swift's commonly worn jumpsuit and pose, Swift's team may gain additional grounds to pursue claims against manipulated or AI-generated images that evoke her likeness," he added.

The Grammy winner has been a target of several deepfakes in recent years. Her image and voice were used in sexually suggestive deepfakes, fake clips depicting her promoting a cookware brand, as well as manipulated photos suggesting she supported Donald Trump's presidential candidacy.

In 2025 Matthew McConaughey took similar steps, trademarking his voice and likeness to protect against of AI-use.

Other celebrities who have spoken about about the problem, include: Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, and Bryan Cranston. The concerns raised by the actors regarded the use of their faces and voices in fake advertisements and promotional videos.

In January, more than 700 creatives, including Johansson, Cate Blanchett, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, backed the Stealing Isn’t Innovation campaign, which advocates for American artists and creators in the rising AI copyright issue.