Taylor Swift took 1989 for her own when she titled her massive 2014 album after her birth year, but now it seems as though the "Wildest Dreams" singer wants to trademark the year. In her latest US Patent and Trademark Office filing, the 25-year-old pop superstar is trying to claim ownership of 1989 as well as phrases related to her such as "Swiftmas," "And I'll write your name" and "Blank Space."
According to BBC News, Swift filed her patent for a slew of new phrases on Thursday, Dec. 3. The most controversial potential claim is for the phrase "1989." While it would be impossible to trademark a year in history, it seems as though Swift's claim is valid. She only wants to apply her patent to the year in a "stylized form" in the vein of her album cover.
Swift also is attempting to trademark the phrase "A girl named girl," which is the rumored phrase of an unpublished memoir.
Swift's biggest struggles in trademarks may come from the lyric "And I'll write your name" and the song title "Blank Space." The BBC enlisted trademark lawyer Fiona McBride, who said that while a stylized 1989 and "Swiftmas" are synonymous with Swift herself, vague phrases like the ones she is trying to trademark are not distinct enough. McBride claims these trademark claims are "no more than a publicity stunt."
Attempting to trademark "And I'll write your name," "Blank Space" and 1989 are not the first controversial phrases Swift has tried to pack in her arsenal. Earlier this year, she tried to file claims for 1989 related phrases such as "This Sick Beat," "Cause we never go out of style" and "Nice to meet you. Where you been?"
