Oh, it’s so sad to think about the good times. You and I…’Cause, baby, now we got bad blood. You know it used to be mad love. So take a look what you’ve done. ‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood, hey!
Without having to even wonder where the words from the above paragraph come from, you already know that these are lyrics from a Taylor Swift song. So powerful is her marketing and branding that she hardly needs any introductions (nor do her songs). Taylor was not able to obtain ownership of the masters for her first six albums. In her own words, “she was robbed of her rights”.
Failing to obtain these masters, Taylor didn’t give up, she embarked on an ambitious project to re-record these albums and marked them as “Taylor’s Version”. She created new versions of the songs from her old albums and in so doing, leveraged her brand identity. Intellectual property (IP) rights play a very significant role in this re-invention of Taylor Swift.
She started protecting her trade marks during 2008, her new albums have been re-recorded under the trade mark “Taylor’s Version”. These trade marks are owned by Taylor’s company, TAS Rights Management. Other trade marks that she protected include her name, signature, albums, jewelry, clocks and doll houses amongst others. Taylor did not stop there, she also registered marks relating to expressions and catchy phrases from her songs.
She has also trade marked the name of her latest tour “Taylor Swift the Eras Tour”. This strategic protection of her brand has resulted in thousands of videos being removed from TikTok on the basis of trade mark infringement. Any person or company that wants to use any of her trade marks must first obtain authorisation and in all likelihood, pay for the use of same. In this way, Taylor has control of her artistic endeavors.
Taylor Swift’s use of trade marks to protect her brand and legacy shows just how important IP is not just for a famous person but for a company too (big or small). Intellectual property rights should always play a key role in the strategy of a business.
References:
- https://www.pearlcohen.com/music-trademark-registration-and-commercial-rights-enforcement-taylor-swift-protects-her-musical-legacy/
- https://tmsearch.uspto.gov
