Taylor Swift trademark strategy: a model for artist IP protection-Overseas News-Shenzhen deep trust patent Agency Co., LTD

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How many trademarks does Taylor Swift have?

Taylor Swift has filed over 300 trademark applications in the US alone through her company, TAS Rights Management, LLC. Internationally, WIPO’s Global Brand Database shows 438 listings across at least 16 jurisdictions at the time of writing. These trademarks span everything from her name and signature phrases to song titles, tour names, and even the names of her three cats. But this isn’t just about owning catchy words. It’s a strategy that protects her identity, reinforces her brand, and allows her to control how that brand appears in merchandise, digital spaces, and live experiences.

Each trademark is a tool in a larger branding symphony. Whether it’s a line from a hit single or a reference beloved by fans, these marks help ensure that anything associated with Taylor comes from Taylor.

Taylor Swift trademark list – What has Taylor Swift trademarked?

Her stage name

Taylor Swift’s trademarks cover a wide range of creative and commercial elements. At the center is her stage name, “Taylor Swift”, trademarked around the world so she can say, with full legal protection “This name is mine”: on stage, in stores, online, and everywhere her brand appears.
The names of her albums – including The Life of a Showgirl

She registered several of her album titles, including Reputation, Lover, Evermore, Midnights, 1989, and Fearless (Taylor’s Version). Most recently, she's added The Life of a Showgirl and its acronym TLOAS to the list, with trademark applications covering everything from music recordings to the full range of merchandise. These trademarks help protect the look, feel, and story behind each album.

The album announcement was strategic storytelling in itself. Not with a typical press release, but through a mint-green briefcase reveal on the New Heights podcast, hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce. It was a marketing move as strategic and theatrical as the album itself.
Individual phrases in her lyrics

Some of her most iconic lyrics and phrases have also been trademarked – like “Welcome to New York, it’s been waiting for you,” “This sick beat,” “Nice to meet you, where you been?” and “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now.” They’re more than lyrics now; they’re part of her identity and her business.
Her tour names

Tour names such as The Eras Tour, 1989 World Tour, and Fearless Tour are protected too. This gives her full control over how those experiences are presented and sold.
Her fanbase: the Swifties

She’s tried to trademark the name of her fanbase, Swifties. Some of those filings have faced challenges in certain jurisdictions, but it still shows how serious she is about protecting her connection with her fans.
Merchandise

As her brand has grown, Taylor has also moved into new areas like cosmetics, drinkware, and mobile apps. One example is Taymoji, a digital sticker app based on her personality and style. These moves help her brand to reach far beyond music, and the commercial impact is substantial: following the 66-show run of The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift merchandising sales reached USD 440.8 million, with fans spending an average of USD 40 each, according to Time Magazine.
Her cats’ names

Even her cats are part of the brand. The name “Meredith, Olivia & Benjamin Swift” has been trademarked for official merchandise, turning her pets into fan favorites with legal backing.

Altogether, albums, lyrics, cats, phrases, and apps fit into a larger strategy. Each trademark reflects a deliberate choice to safeguard what matters most to her brand. Because every product and message are carefully curated, the experience remains unmistakable, and authentically, Taylor Swift.

Infographic titled "Taylor Swift’s branded universe: A full breakdown of her 400+ trademarks and the assets they protect.” — WIPO

Of course, maintaining all these trademarks requires resources. Some filings have been dropped if not used, and others, like Swifties, haven’t been accepted everywhere. Laws differ in every country, so her legal team must stay on top of deadlines, paperwork, and unauthorized use. It’s not glamorous, but it’s essential to ensure her name, style, and story stay in her control.

Evermore v. Taylor Swift lawsuit

A comprehensive strategy can still encounter external challenges. In 2021, following the release of her album Evermore, Taylor Swift faced a trademark dispute.

Evermore Park, a fantasy-themed attraction in Utah, claimed her album title was too close to theirs and accused her of creating confusion among the public. Swift’s legal team quickly responded with a countersuit, pointing to the park’s unlicensed use of her music in performances.

Both parties eventually dropped their respective claims, opting for a quiet resolution rather than prolonged litigation.

The case demonstrated that even a brand as carefully composed as Swift’s can face legal challenges, but her team’s measured, fast, and firm response showed how trademark disputes can be resolved efficiently.

Reclaiming ownership with “Taylor’s Version”

Trademarks give Swift something more valuable still than protection: leverage. As she began re-recording her earlier albums, each re-release was accompanied by fresh trademark filings that distinguish the new versions from the originals once controlled by her former label. By trademarking titles like Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), and Taylor Swift "Taylor’s Version", she draws a legal and emotional boundary around her own work.

This strategy represents a revolutionary approach to artist rights. It allows her to reclaim the narrative, the music, and the market. Fans know exactly which version supports the artist, and her legal framework ensures that retailers, platforms, and advertisers do too. The use of trademark law here becomes more than a business move; it’s a tool of public empowerment and signals to the industry – and to every aspiring artist – that control over one’s name and work isn’t just aspirational, it’s achievable through strategic legal planning.

Taylor Swift reclaims her masters

In May 2025, Taylor Swift officially bought back the master recordings of her first six albums from Shamrock Capital, reclaiming full ownership of the music that launched her career. The deal includes everything from album tracks to music videos and unreleased material. Swift announced the news, expressing gratitude to her fans for their support throughout her journey.

This marks the end of a years-long process that began in 2019, when Scooter Braun acquired her masters through the purchase of Big Machine Records. After those rights were sold to Shamrock, Swift initially launched her re-recording campaign with “Taylor’s Version” editions to regain creative and commercial control.

With this latest milestone, though, Swift has indicated that future re-recordings, such as Reputation (Taylor's Version), may be released as celebratory endeavors rather than necessities, reflecting her newfound autonomy.

Fans taking selfies in front of a colorful mural of Taylor Swift portraits outside Wembley Stadium before The Eras Tour 2024 concert. — Getty Images/Ogulcan Aksoy

Taylor’s impact on music artist brand strategy

Her success not only underscores the importance of artists' rights but has fueled the discussion about intellectual property in the music industry. She has fundamentally changed how artists approach ownership, branding, and legacy, with fellow musicians like Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, and Rihanna handling their brands as comprehensive, multi-dimensional assets.

The shift is industry-wide: managers, labels, and legal teams are now prioritizing intellectual property (IP), treating music trademarks not as an afterthought but as a foundation for long-term success.

Global protection of Taylor Swift’s trademarks

Taylor Swift’s brand is global, and so is her trademark strategy. To streamline the process of securing rights in multiple countries, she relies on WIPO’s Madrid System. This international trademark protection framework allows her legal team to extend a US-based trademark into key markets such as Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, and Japan.

In this way, trademarks have been extended to cover album titles like Lover, Evermore, and Midnights, as well as fan-driven and re-recording-related trademarks, The Eras Tour, and Red (Taylor’s Version).

Her marks also span a wide range of goods and services, including clothing, music recordings, printed materials, digital content, and even household items. It’s a smart, cost-effective approach that ensures consistent global trademark protection, particularly around album launches and international tours.

The value of strategic trademarking

Taylor Swift’s trademark strategy illustrates how legal foresight and brand vision can harmonize into something far greater than commercial protection. From her earliest lyrics to her newest business ventures, each trademark is a note in a carefully orchestrated approach that secures her legacy, amplifies her message, and maintains her connection to millions of fans worldwide.

What sets Swift apart is the volume of her trademarks and the purpose behind them. She trademarks with intention, anchoring every era, lyric, and reinvention in a framework that lets her evolve without losing control. For fans, this means every product, platform, and experience bearing her name is authentic, authorized, and rooted in her voice. For other artists, she demonstrates that creativity and strategy can coexist and that protecting your identity isn’t optional, it’s essential.

About the author

Leticia Caminero is an intellectual property lawyer with a Master of Laws (LLM) from the University of Cambridge. Hailing from the Dominican Republic, she is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland, where she contributes as part of WIPO's Web Communications team and as a certified project manager. Leticia hosts her own Intangiblia podcast, which breaks down complex IP concepts into bite-sized pieces, and has published in various legal journals in Spanish and English.

The author acknowledges Virginie Roux and Elisabeth Josa Valarino of WIPO for the initial idea for this article and their input in refining the approach.

For more music-related content, visit WIPO Magazine's Music Special . The full edition is available for free download as a PDF.