On April 24, 2026, Taylor Swift’s company, TAS Rights Management, quietly filed three trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that sent shockwaves through the intellectual property world. She wasn’t protecting a new album title or a catchy lyric this time. She was protecting her voice and her likeness, specifically to combat the growing threat of AI-generated content.
This move is more than celebrity news. It’s a glimpse into the future of brand protection — and a wake-up call for business owners of all sizes.
What Taylor Swift Filed, And Why It Matters
Swift filed two sound marks, a lesser-known but legitimate category of trademark, covering short audio clips of her own voice. One captures her saying, “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift,” and the other, “Hey, it’s Taylor.” A third application protects a specific photograph of her performing on stage during the Eras Tour, dressed in a sequined bodysuit and holding a pink guitar.
These filings appear to be intended to protect Swift against the threats posed by artificial intelligence. The concern is real: AI tools can now generate convincing voice replicas and deepfake images without copying a single existing recording; effectively sidestepping traditional copyright law.
This isn’t the first time a major celebrity has taken this approach. Earlier in 2025, actor Matthew McConaughey received USPTO approval for eight trademark applications covering his voice, image, and even his famous catchphrase, “Alright, alright, alright.” McConaughey put it plainly: he wants to ensure that when his voice or likeness is used anywhere, it’s because he approved it.
The AI Gap That Trademarks Are Trying to Fill
Here’s the legal challenge at the heart of all of this: copyright law protects specific creative works, not identities. If an AI system generates a brand-new audio clip that sounds like Taylor Swift, without copying any actual Taylor Swift recording, it may not constitute copyright infringement. The same is true for AI-generated images that recreate a person’s likeness without using any existing photos.
This is the gap. And it’s not a small one.
Swift has already been on the receiving end of this problem. In early 2024, sexually explicit AI deepfake images of her went viral on social media. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, an AI-generated image portraying her as endorsing a political candidate circulated widely. She addressed the fake directly on Instagram, citing her fears about how AI can be weaponized to spread misinformation.
Other celebrities have faced similar threats. Scarlett Johansson’s attorneys demanded that an AI company stop using her likeness in ads. Tom Hanks publicly warned about fake AI-generated ads using his name and image to promote health products. Bryan Cranston raised concerns about AI tools replicating his likeness without consent.
Trademarks offer a potential remedy because trademark law focuses on consumer confusion and unauthorized commercial use, not just copying. If an AI-generated clip is “confusingly similar” to a registered sound mark, the trademark holder may have grounds to challenge it, issue takedown demands, or pursue legal action.
Disney has already tested this theory. In December 2025, the company sent a cease-and-desist letter to Google, claiming its Gemini AI platform was generating copies of trademarked Disney characters. Google pulled the offending videos within a day.
Important Caveats: This Strategy Is Untested in Court
We want to be transparent about something important: the “trademark yourself” strategy has not yet been fully tested in court with respect to AI-generated content. As McConaughey’s own attorney acknowledged, “I don’t know what a court will say in the end. But we have to at least test this.”
Ultimately, Swift and McConaughey’s trademark filings are testing new theories on how trademark law will work in the age of AI. A federal court would need an actual infringement case to rule on the validity of these legal arguments. The landscape is evolving, and the law is still catching up to the technology.
This does not mean you should wait. It means you should build your legal foundation now, because those who act early will be far better positioned when the courts do weigh in.
But What About the Rest of Us? This Isn’t Just for Celebrities
It’s easy to read about Taylor Swift and think, “This doesn’t apply to me.” After all, most business owners aren’t pop stars with millions of followers and a team of IP attorneys.
But consider this: the same AI tools that can fabricate Taylor Swift’s voice can also generate fake testimonials using a business owner’s name, create fraudulent promotional videos featuring a company spokesperson, or produce fake advertising content that mimics a brand’s established look and feel.
The threat is real, and it scales down to small and mid-sized businesses.
Here’s what you may already have worth protecting:
- A distinctive business name or tagline
- A recognizable logo or visual brand identity
- A spokesperson’s voice or image used consistently in your marketing
- Branded audio: a jingle, sound logo, or signature phrase
- A personal brand tied to your professional identity
Just as Swift’s trademark strategy builds on her existing portfolio of 300+ trademark registrations, the most effective brand protection is layered and proactive. Waiting until an infringement occurs, whether by a human competitor or an AI system, puts you in a reactive, costly, and often uphill position.
The Non-Negotiable: Trademarks Must Be Used in Commerce
There’s a critical legal requirement that no trademark strategy can skip, celebrity or otherwise: a trademark must be used in commerce to be valid and enforceable.
This is one of the foundational principles of U.S. trademark law, and it’s especially relevant as more people explore “trademarking themselves” as a concept. A trademark isn’t a legal shield you can file and then set aside. It must be actively and consistently used in connection with the goods or services it covers.
That’s why Swift’s filings are tied to specific, identifiable uses: actual audio clips from real promotional materials, a real performance photograph. McConaughey’s trademarked catchphrase has been used in actual commerce, not just stored on a shelf.
For your business, this means:
- Registered trademarks must be used in connection with your actual products or services
- You must maintain your trademark with proper maintenance filings at the 5-year and 10-year marks
- Failure to use a trademark can result in it becoming “abandoned” and losing your rights entirely
- Consistent, documented use strengthens your trademark in any future dispute
This is why working with a trademark attorney from the start, not just at filing, is so important. A registered mark that isn’t properly maintained or used is not much better than no mark at all.
What You Should Do to Protect Your Brand Today
The AI-and-trademark landscape is changing rapidly, but several fundamentals remain constant. Here’s a practical framework:
1. Conduct a comprehensive trademark search before filing. Before you invest in a trademark application, you need to know whether your mark, or a confusingly similar one, already exists. A professional trademark search reduces the risk of costly conflicts and rejected applications.
2. File early and strategically. The U.S. trademark system rewards those who file first. Whether you’re protecting a business name, a logo, a tagline, or even a distinctive audio element, filing sooner gives you priority rights.
3. Think beyond the obvious categories. Sound marks, trade dress, and image trademarks are powerful but underutilized. If your brand has a consistent visual or audio signature, it may be worth protecting.
4. Maintain your registrations. Trademark protection doesn’t end at registration. Between the 5th and 6th year, you must file a Declaration of Use. Every 10 years, a renewal is required. Missing these deadlines can cost you your registration entirely.
5. Monitor and enforce. A registered trademark is only as strong as your willingness to enforce it. Monitoring the USPTO database and the marketplace for infringing uses, including AI-generated ones, is an ongoing responsibility.
6. Respond to Office Actions promptly. If the USPTO raises objections to your application, you typically have a limited window to respond. A well-crafted response to an Office Action can mean the difference between approval and abandonment.
The Bottom Line
Taylor Swift isn’t just protecting her brand for the sake of it. She’s responding to a genuine and growing legal vulnerability, one that affects businesses and individuals far beyond the entertainment world. The tools that make AI-generated content so dangerous are widely accessible and only becoming more capable.
Trademarks aren’t a perfect solution to the AI problem. Not yet. The law is still catching up. But they are the best available legal tool we have, and they work best when they’re built proactively, maintained consistently, and enforced confidently.
Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur building a personal brand or a growing business protecting years of investment, the time to think about trademark strategy is before you need it, not after.
Ready to protect your brand? Contact The Trademark Place today to schedule a consultation.