Lionel Richie has filed to trademark his voice in an attempt to fight against AI cloning his singing.
The US singer is looking to trademark lyrics from some of his most well-known songs, including the phrases “Hello, is it me you’re looking for”, “I’m easy like Sunday morning”, “All night long”, and “Say you, say me”.
He is the latest public figure to submit trademark applications to the US Patent and Trademark Office amid fears about AI taking celebrities’ likenesses without permission.
The four sound trademark applications were filed on June 11 and indicated that while these phrases have not yet been used as trademarks, he intends to use them in connection with his music and brand.
In seeking out trademark protections for lyrics, sounds have to be associated with a product or service.
While lyrics are typically copyrighted and not trademarked, since trademarks are associated with brands, celebrities have turned to trademarking sounds in an attempt to bar AI technology from using their voice. Trademarks could give an artist the power to stop their voice from being reproduced if it is similar enough.
Richie is not the first public personality to seek protection for the use of his voice.
Pop behemoth Taylor Swift applied to trademark her voice, saying: “Hey, it’s Taylor” and “Hey, it’s Taylor Swift”.
Actor Matthew McConaughey, who is known for saying: “All right, all right, all right” in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, has also filed to protect the clips.
In 2024, actress Scarlett Johansson spoke out against OpenAI after ChatGPT used a voice in its product that resembled hers.
Ms Johansson claimed in a statement that she had turned down an opportunity to voice ChatGPT.
She was “shocked” and “angered” to find out that, despite turning down the project, the company had still used a voice named Sky that sounded so similar to her own.
Researchers who talked to the AI assistant Sky drew comparisons between the model and Ms Johansson’s part as an AI companion in the 2013 film Her.
Initially, the company continued to defend its product by writing a blog explaining how the voices for ChatGPT were made and claiming there was no connection with the actress.
The company eventually removed the voice following the resignation of several employees.
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