Variety Quotes Josh Gerben Regarding Taylor Swift’s Anti-AI Trademark Filings

Taylor Swift recently filed trademarks to protect her voice and image in an attempt to counter AI generated content.

Josh Gerben analyzed the filings for Variety. 

According to Josh Gerben, who spotted the filings, Swift’s trademarks reflect a growing concern in the entertainment industry around the potential for AI to steal artists’ ability to control their voices and likeness without their consent.

“Theoretically, if a lawsuit were to be filed over an AI using Swift’s voice, she could claim that any use of her voice that sounds like the registered trademark violates her trademark rights,” Gerben wrote. The singer’s 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.”

“Ultimately, Taylor Swift and Matthew McConaughey’s recent trademark filings are testing new theories on how trademark law will work in the AI age,” said Gerben.

Source: Spangler, Todd. https://www.variety.com/. “Taylor Swift Files to Trademark Her Voice and Likeness, Apparently to Protect Against AI Misuse”. 27 April 2026.