Taylor Swift has applied to trademark her voice and appearance in an apparent attempt to protect herself from AI impersonations.
The pop superstar has lodged three trademark applications in the US – one using a photo of herself on stage during her Eras Tour and the other two being audio clips of her introducing herself while promoting her last album.
AI-generated versions of Swift have cropped up in various ways in recent years – from explicit images to a fake election ad in which she appeared to urge people to vote for Donald Trump.
The move comes after actor Matthew McConaughey became the first celebrity to use trademark rules to attempt to protect his voice and image from AI misuse earlier this year.
Graeme Murray, trademark attorney at leading intellectual property law firm Marks & Clerk, said: “As generative AI makes deepfakes and AI generated images a daily reality, Taylor Swift’s move to trademark her voice and stage image marks a pivotal shift from protecting art to protecting identity. By filing for specific audio clips like ‘Hey, it’s Taylor’ and detailed imagery of her performing with a pink guitar, Swift is following a strategy made famous by Matthew McConaughey to create a clear perimeter around her likeness. In jurisdictions like the UK, where formal personality rights do not yet exist, celebrities like Luke Littler and Cole Palmer are increasingly using trademark law as a shield against unauthorised commercial AI replicas.
“While the UK Government’s March 2026 report on AI suggests that a dedicated personality right may eventually be on the horizon, these high-profile filings prove that the world’s biggest stars will not wait for legislation; instead they are proactively turning their very existence into a legally enforceable brand to ensure that in an AI-driven world, consent remains the ultimate currency.”
