Taylor Swift filed to trademark the term “TAYLOR-CON,” hinting at plans to slap the term on a host of products, including candles, kitchenware, jewelry, towels, hair accessories and clothing.
The 34-year-old’s Nashville-based LLC, TAS Rights Management, filed the application with the US Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday initially reported on by TMZ, which also reported that the document could be an indication of a future album name.
The latest trademark application nearly mirrors the one TAS Rights filed to claim “Midnights” back in August 2022, just two months before Swift released an album touting the same name.
As in the “Midnights” filing, the trademark application for “TAYLOR-CON” asks to slap the name on musical sound recordings and other forms of digital media, as well as guitar picks, lunch boxes, coffee cups and even temporary tattoos and hosiery.
It also requested that “TAYLOR-CON” be eligible for use in “arranging, organizing, conducting and hosting social entertainment events.”
Swifties were thrilled at the news, surmising that the “con” in the name could mean a multiday confab all about Swift could be in the works.
Typically “con” used in this way stands for “convention,” as it does in other popular event names — like ComicCon for comic book junkies; VidCon, which features prominent Internet stars; and BravoCon, designed for mega-fans of the TV network, Swift’s loyal legion of fans noted on social media.
“I WILL BE ATTENDING,” one excited user posted, while others were quick to say they’d buy up tickets, no matter the cost.
“TAKE MY MONEY,” a hopeful TAYLOR-CON attendee wrote, while another said, “Well there goes my savings.”
Others, however, surmised that Swift jumped to trademark the name to prevent anyone else from hosting a TAYLOR-CON amid the 34-year-old songstress’ recent surge in global stardom.
“Certainly possible that this filing is a reaction to that event,” trademark lawyer Josh Gerben shared to X, although he noted that “to register the trademark Taylor must actually offer the services listed in the application.”
Fans went on to suggest that these “events” could be ones held at the Taylor Swift Education Center, which was the result of Swift’s reported $4 million gift to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Post has sought comment from Swift’s publicist, Tree Paine.
Should Swift sell merchandise under the TAYLOR-CON brand, the “Cruel Summer” singer will have greater autonomy over sales — unlike her official Store.TaylorSwift.com online store, which is run by her record label Universal Music Group and has been bashed by customers who told The Post they felt “scammed” by the site’s operations.
The chronically-mismanaged UMG-run Store.TaylorSwift.com sells gifts, CDs and vinyl, as well as T-shirts and sweaters boasting imagery from the albums featured in Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour.
However, many of “the items don’t arrive in time, or they arrive broken or in tatters,” according to Grace Green, a 32-year-old Swiftie living in Arizona who shared pictures with The Post of a “1989” cardigan that arrived with yarn that had already come loose.
Green, who said she’s been a fan since Swift’s debut album came out in 2006, placed orders for 22 items on the site last year, collectively totaling $1,044.75, she told The Post, defending the splurge as “a desperate, mad attempt to get everything at once,” noting that products across the site quickly sell out.
A tide of customer complaints has inspired an X account with nearly 2,000 followers, @TayMerchProbs. It recently published results of a poll on Swift’s “Lover” snow globes, which retail for $70.
Of those surveyed, 60% said they “still haven’t received” them while another roughly 25% said they came either “broken” or “dinged up.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
