It’s still safe to party like it’s 1999, but don’t you dare party like it’s 1989™.
Sweet-as-candy pop singer Taylor Swift™ flexed her legal muscles this week, slapping trademark applications on a number of song titles, names and lyrics associated with her music and clothing brands. Swift™ has applied for trademarks on 15 different phrases in musical, live performance and clothing form, according to a list of filings on the legal site Justia.
Those trademark applications include everything from her name to sentence fragments like “Cause we never going out of style™” and “Could show you incredible things™.”
If the applications are approved, it would become illegal to hold a Swiftstakes™ without the approval of Ms. Swift™, and don’t get too comfortable greeting people with the phrase “Nice to meet you. Where you been?™” That will belong to Taylor Swift Fearless™.
Huh?
Yeah, Taylor Swift Fearless™ is another of her would-be trademarks, and if you don’t love, love, love™ it, be fearless™ and speak now™.
Just don’t put those words on sheet music, or utter the words in a paid performance. They'll be hers.
So will this sick beat™, love love love™ and even her initials. That means the Tammy Smiths, Thomas Sandersons and Tiffany Snows of the world had better watch it before getting TS™ on a keychain, letterhead, locket, bracelet or set of drum sticks.
But if haters wanna hate (hate hate hate hate) on Swift™ for her litigious approach, that phrase has not been trademarked. Yet.
Don’t like all those TMs?
T.S.™
(That’ll be a trademark, too.)
