Taylor Swift files to trademark her voice, likeness to ward off AI deepfakes | Latest Tech News
Pop famous person Taylor Swift filed trademark functions for two audio clips and one image of herself in what a trademark attorney said is an attempt to defend her voice and likeness from deepfake videos and audio created by artificial intelligence.
The functions had been filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office on Friday and record Swift’s TAS Rights Management as being the proprietor of the audio clips and image.
A spokesperson for Swift didn’t immediately reply to a request for remark on Monday, nor did attorneys who had been listed on the filings.
Taylor Swift filed trademark functions for two audio clips and one image of herself in what a trademark attorney said is an attempt to defend her voice and likeness from deepfake videos. AFP via Getty Images
In one of the audio clips, Swift is heard saying: “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift, and you can listen to my new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ on demand on Amazon Music Unlimited.”
The second clip says: “Hey, it’s Taylor. My brand new album ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is out on October 3 and you can click to presave it so you can listen to it on Spotify.”
The image Swift is looking for to trademark is of her onstage in a sequined outfit, pink guitar in hand.
Swift’s image and voice have been used in numerous AI-generated deepfakes – from false promoting to faux political endorsements to specific photographs.
Actor Matthew McConaughey has had related filings permitted. He told the Wall Street Journal in January that “we want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.”
The image Swift is looking for to trademark is of her onstage in a sequined outfit, pink guitar in hand. Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben, who first publicized that Swift made the functions on his weblog on Monday, wrote that they “are specifically designed to protect Taylor from threats posed by artificial intelligence.”
“While existing ‘Right of Publicity’ laws offer some protection against unauthorized use of a famous individual’s likeness, trademark filings can provide an additional layer of protection,” Gerben wrote.
Gerben added that registering a movie star’s spoken voice is a new use of trademark registration that has not been examined in courts.
Actor Matthew McConaughey has had related filings permitted. Getty Images for HISTORY
“Historically, singers relied on copyright law to protect their recorded music,” Gerben wrote. “But AI technologies now allow users to generate entirely new content that mimics an artist’s voice without copying an existing recording, creating a gap that trademarks may help fill.”
Gerben said the picture Swift is looking for to trademark serves a related objective.
“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,” he wrote.
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