Taylor Swift Seeks Voice Trademark to Guard Against AI Deepfakes

Generative AI can now reproduce singers’ voices with a high degree of accuracy, while traditional copyright law primarily protects creative works and struggles to address the unauthorized use of a person’s voice, name or likeness. Tennessee enacted the ELVIS Act on March 21, 2024, and the law took effect on July 1 that year, extending the right of publicity to cover voices and underscoring the importance of artists retaining control over their digital identities.

Taylor Swift recently applied to register her voice as a trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), seeking to fill gaps in copyright protection against AI voice cloning and deepfake content. If approved, the registration could allow her to pursue claims involving confusion over a content’s source, false endorsement or commercial misappropriation. Publicly available information does not disclose the application fee or when the review will be completed.