Last week, Taylor Swift applied to trademark lyrics from her new album. This includes, most notably, the phrase “this sick beat” from her hit “Shake It Off.” (Are you thinking, Wait, can she really do that? Because yes, yes she can.)
Some people, like musician Ben Norton, are very upset about Tay’s trademark attempts, which also include “Party like it’s 1989” and “‘Cause we never go out of style.” To vent his frustration, Norton wrote a protest song of sorts. It’s a parody metal song whose only lyrics are “this sick beat.”
Warning: It’s pretty, um, abrasive:
“Trademarks of common idioms such as this are a direct attack on one of the most fundamental and inalienable rights of all: our freedom of speech,” Norton wrote in the video description.
Granted, Tay most likely wants to copyright her lyrics to keep people from printing them on things like t-shirts, toys and jewelry. In the meantime, she has yet to respond to this protest song.
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