Taylor Swift Files Trademarks for Image, Voice Amid TikTok Deepfakes
Taylor Swift submitted three trademark applications last week to secure rights to her image and voice. One application targets a famous photo of the singer gripping a pink guitar at a concert during her record-breaking Eras tour. The other two cover sound marks for the phrases "Hey, it's Taylor Swift" and "Hey, it's Taylor."
This step arrives during a surge in AI deepfakes on social media platforms. People face risks from unauthorized AI content, including nonconsensual material. Just earlier this month, an Ohio man became the first convicted under a new federal law against creating intimate visual deepfakes. Celebrities encounter threats from both sexual deepfakes and phony endorsements.
Copyleaks Uncovers Deepfake Scam Ads on TikTok
Taylor Swift has built a massive career as a pop superstar. Her Eras tour set records as the highest-grossing concert tour in history, pulling in over $1 billion in ticket sales across stadiums worldwide from 2023 into 2024. Such fame makes her a prime target for misuse of her image, which powers a brand worth billions through music, merchandise, and endorsements.
In one example, footage from Swift's real October appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon gets altered. The deepfake version states, "I was reading about digital behavior this week and came across a testing feature called TikTok Pay." It continues, "Certain users are being invited to watch videos and submit opinions." The fake Swift describes the program as in "limited rollout" and urges, "If the page opens for you, don't overthink it."
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Users who click through always get approved. The path directs them to a third-party site mimicking TikTok with its name and logo. Yet, signs point to the AI platform Lovable handling the build, as its branding shows up on the page and in the URL. Visitors then face requests to input their name and other personal details.
TikTok, a short-video app owned by China's ByteDance, hosts billions of daily views. Its ad system has drawn criticism for enabling scams despite moderation efforts. Copyleaks specializes in spotting AI-generated text, code, and now media, helping platforms and users detect fakes.
Broader Scam Landscape and Celebrity Responses
The goal of collecting data through these celebrity deepfakes remains unclear. Still, similar frauds abound on social platforms. Last week, the Consumer Federation of America filed a lawsuit against Meta. The suit claims the company deceived Facebook and Instagram users about fighting scam ads while letting them spread for profit.
On Monday, the US Federal Trade Commission shared data showing a sharp rise in social media fraud. Facebook scams topped the list for total monetary losses. Swift has not spoken publicly about her trademark moves. Even so, the harm to her valuable brand from these lies stands out clearly. Deepfakes keep improving in quality each day.
Celebrities increasingly pursue legal protections. Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, also featured in these ads, manage empires in music, beauty, and media. Kardashian's ventures include SKIMS and her reality TV legacy, while Rihanna's Fenty brand disrupted fashion. Protecting likenesses helps shield against fraud that erodes trust.
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