Taylor Swift is trying to put a trademark on her date of birth and name of her latest album – 1989. Yes, you read it right. The application to the US Patent office refers to the date in the “stylised form” of her album cover (which basically means writing ‘1989’ in felt tip on top of a photo!). This is one of many trademark applications made by Swift, also applying for ‘Swiftmas’, ‘Blank Space’, ‘And I’ll Write Your Name’ and ‘A Girl Named Girl’.
I could understand the 25 year-old removing her music from Spotify, she wanted to be paid fairly for her creative work and that is a justifiable reason. She also felt she was standing up for a greater cause, for artists everywhere who deserve more royalties for their work – which again I can get behind.
However, with these new patent applications, especially ‘1989’, it is hard to find reason behind it. Firstly, attempting to put a patent on a date is ridiculous, no matter what the “stylised form“. Secondly, there is no greater good that she is fighting for here, and only she stands to gain from it (which you could argue is fair enough). What do you make of the applications?
#Peace.Love.TaylorSwift
