Taylor Swift has filed to trademark two voice clips and an image of her in concert in an apparent attempt to shore up her identity against AI incursions.
Her company, TAS Rights Management, LLC, filed three applications Friday with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office — one for the audio of her saying, “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” and another for “Hey, it’s Taylor,” known as sound marks. The third is a photo of her holding a pink guitar, wearing a “multicolored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots” and standing on a particular stage.
This follows actor Matthew McConaughey’s recent eight trademark approvals from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for numerous images and his “Dazed and Confused” catchphrase, “Alright, alright, alright,” part of an overall attempt to put the kibosh on any AI apps’ or users’ attempts to hijack his likeness and voice, he stated at the time.
While U.S. law already protects songs under copyright law, and use of a person’s likeness or image falls under “Right of Publicity” laws, AI has changed the landscape, trademark attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben IP explained in his intellectual-property blog.
Filings such as Swift’s and McConaughey’s add an extra layer of protection by prohibiting “confusingly similar” imitations, Gerber wrote. Likewise, the detailed description of Swift’s attire and surroundings in the photograph could allow for legal action against AI-manipulated or -generated images evoking her likeness.
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Taylor Swift performs in London in 2024. (Getty)
Neither Swift’s nor McConaughey’s filings have been tested in court, though Gerben said “the legal theories behind the filings are strong.”
The pop superstar’s Tas Rights Management has filed more than 300 trademark applications in the U.S. and 400-plus worldwide, the United Nations’ World Intellectual Property Organization noted in August 2025. They range from song titles to tour names to her three cats’ names, WIPO said, a “model for artist IP protection.”
Swift and McConaughey are far from alone in fearing AI’s unauthorized use of their likeness and voice. In January, more than 700 creators signed a proclamation denouncing such use as theft and ran ads in The New York Times, the intellectual property blog IP CloseUp reported.
Swift’s likeness has shown up in AI fakes from chatbots and porn images to Donald Trump’s AI-fueled fake presidential endorsement in August 2024. That became part of her reason for going public weeks later with her endorsement of his opponent, Kamala Harris, and running mate Tim Walz.