In trademark applications filed last week, Swift’s team asked for protection for two phrases spoken by the singer: “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift” and “Hey, it’s Taylor.” The trademark applications, filed by TAS Rights Management on behalf of Swift, include audio clips of Swift saying the two phrases as part of a promotion for her latest album. “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift, and you can listen to my new album The Life of a Showgirl on demand on Amazon Music Unlimited,” Swift says in one of the clips. TAS Rights Management filed a trademark application for a photo of Swift as well, which shows the musician “holding a pink guitar, with a black strap and wearing a multi-colored iridescent bodysuit with silver boots” on stage.

Though Swift’s team hasn’t said that the trademarks are meant to protect against AI misuse, it seems like a likely possibility given Swift’s history with AI. Not only has the star had to deal with the threat of AI music, but Swift also contended with an onslaught of sexualized AI deepfakes.

Artists have long used copyright law to protect their music, but the rise of AI-generated tracks has made defending their work and likenesses more difficult. That’s because copyrights only protect an artist’s song — not their voice. Legal teams have had to get a bit creative as a result, with Universal Music Group (UMG) issuing copyright takedown requests of an AI-generated Drake song, citing the Metro Boomin producer tag that plays at the beginning.

As explained by IP attorney Josh Gerben, trademarks could help fill the gap created by AI-generated mimicry. Instead of targeting exact copies of her music, Swift “could potentially challenge not only identical reproductions, but also imitations that are ‘confusingly similar,’” according to Gerben. The photo of Swift, similarly, could be potentially used to take action against similar AI-generated imagery. Earlier this year, Matthew McConaughey similarly obtained trademarks for video clips of himself, including one where he says “Alright, alright, alright,” to protect against AI misuse.