The European leg of ‘TAYLOR SWIFT THE ERAS TOUR’ has concluded, leaving fans ‘Enchanted’ as Taylor Swift continues her 152-date global tour, breaking records along the way. She surpassed Michael Jackson’s record for the most performances at Wembley by an international artist during a single tour, with eight nights at the iconic venue. In the UK alone, Swift performed to nearly 1.2 million fans, contributing an estimated £1 billion to the nation’s economy. The singer-songwriter is undoubtedly a huge success and has managed to build on her creative talents to establish a global brand. In the highly competitive and ever-evolving landscape of the music and entertainment industry, Intellectual Property is a crucial asset for artists and Taylor is definitely not ‘Fearless’ when it comes to protecting her IP.Brand recognition on this scale requires consistent promotion and exposure with the risk that creative works and unique elements are easily accessed and reproduced. To protect her interests, Taylor Swift has registered numerous trade marks at the UKIPO (and internationally), including her name ‘TAYLOR SWIFT’, her fan base ‘SWIFTIES’, albums such as ‘FOLKLORE ALBUM’ and iconic song lyrics such as ‘CAN YOU JUST NOT STEP ON OUR GOWNS’. All of these are synonymous with the distinctive brand, image, and musical style that her SWIFTIES love and the artist’s foresight in securing registered protection has allowed her to promote and commercialise her brand with the assurance that legal protection is in place. All vital for building a loyal fan base and creating long-term success.Trade marks can be licensed or franchised, creating additional revenue streams which in this case have proven very valuable. Merchandising is a significant income source in the entertainment industry and by having her song lyrics and phrases registered as trade marks, Taylor is able to control any merchandise associated with her brand. When fans purchase products bearing the trade marks of their favourite artists or bands, they contribute to the overall revenue generated beyond just music sales and concert tickets. Forbes reported that the Eras Tour merchandise generated $200 million in 2023. Just in case you were thinking about using ‘TAYLOR SWIFT THE ERAS TOUR’ to create any merch, it is already protected and has been with effect from April 2023, before the tour was announced. Establishing rights ahead of launch or promotion has maintained a competitive edge and provided Taylor’s people with the tools they need to address any early, unauthorised attempts to profit from the tour. This strategy is one that other artists and online creators can use to protect their popularity and success, particularly in a world where songs and catch phrases can quickly go viral and be widely adopted.Taylor has also had to manage challenges with the laws of Copyright following her move in November 2018 to a new record label.In the UK, copyright is governed by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, which safeguards original works such as literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic creations, including sound recordings. The US equivalent, the Copyright Act of 1976, protects ‘original works of authorship’ that are fixed in a tangible medium of expression. This includes literary, musical, dramatic, and artistic works, as well as sound recordings. The copyright for a musical track can be divided into two parts: the musical composition, which includes the lyrics and melody and is typically controlled by the artist, songwriter, or composer, and the sound recording, often referred to as “the master” which is generally managed by the record label. This division can lead to conflicting interests, as record labels and managers involved in the recording process seek to profit from their share of the copyright royalties.For Taylor Swift, this meant that while she owned the copyright to the musical compositions of her albums, the masters for her first six studio albums were held by her then record label, Big Machine Records. This ownership gave the label control over her ability to perform her original music and allowed them to continue profiting from licensing these songs for use in television and film. Following her split with the label, Swift’s highly publicised dispute with Big Machine Records brought significant media attention to the issue, underscoring important aspects of copyright law in the music industry.Taylor Swift’s, decision to re-record her earlier albums and brand them as ‘TAYLOR’S VERSION’ has been a strategic and well-advised move, allowing her to avoid copyright issues with the original sound recordings and reclaim control over her master’s and music licensing. Additionally, the name and registered trade mark of the re-recordings, ‘TAYLOR’S VERSION’, has become a powerful marketing tool, gaining widespread recognition and appearing on merchandise, promotional campaigns, and even featured on the Transport for London map during her tour!Taylor’s fans were easily convinced to purchase and stream only ‘TAYLOR’S VERSION’ of their favourite tracks whilst the surrounding publicity raised the artist’s profile even further and has no doubt boosted her already huge fan base.Adding to her record-breaking achievements, ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ was Taylor’s first re-recorded album and the first re-recorded album to ever reach No. 1 on the Billboard charts. According to Billboard, ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ has earned 1.81 million equivalent album units, while the original version of Fearless has earned 535,000 equivalent album units. Since its release, Fearless (Taylor’s Version) has earned more than 3 times as many units as the original. Since the release of ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’, another chart topper, the re-recording has earned 3.32 million equivalent album units, compared to 390,000 units for the original ‘Red’ album. Contributing to the impressive album unit totals for the two previously re-recorded albums, ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ has accumulated 1.47 billion on-demand song streams since its release, compared to the 680.39 million streams for the original ‘Fearless’ in the same timeframe. Similarly, since its release in November 2021, ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ has achieved 2.86 billion on-demand song streams, while the original ‘Red’ has earned 476.48 million. Although the original albums still receive millions of streams, ‘TAYLORS VERSION’ has significantly surpassed them, redirecting the associated royalties.Key takeaways:Taylor Swift’s IP strategy has significantly strengthened her brand, provided robust legal protection, and created lucrative commercial opportunities. Her copyright dispute has highlighted the often-restrictive nature of contracts for emerging artists and the importance of IP awareness in considering any commercial arrangement. Swift has shown current and emerging artists how effectively managing intellectual property can be a powerful marketing tool, helping to differentiate themselves and protect their achievements. By registering trade marks for her name, signatures, tours, fanbase and lyrics (Taylor has over 500 registrations internationally, the earliest dating back 17 years to 2007), reclaiming control of her masters through ‘TAYLOR’S VERSION’, she illustrates how effective IP management can drive long-term success in the competitive music industry while safeguarding her brand and ‘REPUTATION’ from unauthorised use. In the end, Taylor Swift’s relationship with IP has indeed turned out to be a ‘Love Story’.