Lionel Richie Files to Trademark the Sound of His Voice, Following Taylor Swift's AI Playbook
Lionel Richie filed four applications at the USPTO on June 11 to register audio recordings of his voice saying signature phrases — 'Hello, is it me you're looking for?', 'Say You, Say Me,' 'Easy Like Sunday Morning,' and 'All Night Long' — through an entity called RichLion Holdings, LLC. The filings were spotted by IP attorney Josh Gerben, who noted they are on an 'intent-to-use basis' and technically challenging, since the USPTO requires evidence that sounds function as trademarks rather than simply famous lyrics. If successful, a registered mark would give Richie legal grounds to challenge AI voice imitations beyond what existing copyright and right-of-publicity laws provide. Richie follows Taylor Swift (April 2026), Matthew McConaughey, and Jimmy Kimmel in pursuing this strategy. The No FAKES Act, which would federalize voice and likeness protection for the first time, was reintroduced in Congress on May 20.
THE BREAKDOWN
This is the IP arms race every music and entertainment manager needs to have on their radar. The Swift-Richie-McConaughey-Kimmel pattern indicates a new emerging standard expectation: any A-list talent with a distinctive voice or signature phrase should have trademark applications in progress, full stop. Agents should be having this conversation proactively with both legacy and emerging talent before AI voice cloning commoditizes their clients' most distinguishable asset. Brands running AI-voice creative or using voice likeness in any campaign should also be auditing their clearance process now — the combination of state-level right-of-publicity laws, potential federal NO FAKES Act, and growing trademark filings creates a rapidly closing window for 'easier to ask forgiveness' strategies.
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