Taylor Swift, the country singer turned media mogul/style icon/pop star has taken her career in another fascinating direction—exclusive owner of words. The 25-year-old first made waves when she pulled her albums from music streaming sites such as Spotify in the name of art. Now, she’s trademarked several phrases from her album, 1989.
Swift has said that her goal is to protect the integrity of the album and respect for the artist. And we’d be able to understand that, if the phrases weren’t so… well, generic. So the next time you want to write a pop song or put a catchy phrase on anything from a T-shirt to a temporary tattoo (yes, she gets that specific), be sure to avoid these lyrics:
1. “Party like it’s 1989”
2. “Cause we never go out of style”
3. “Could show you incredible things”
4. “Nice to meet you. Where you been?”
5. “This sick beat”
Vox reported that the reasoning behind trademarking these lyrics is to prevent others from using her phrases for marketing reasons or financial gain. And the trademarks certainly don’t leave anything out—don’t even try to customize hosiery, tanning products, potpourri or Christmas stockings—lest you want to endure Taylor’s wrath. Though we understand the motive, we’re just not sure these are the phrases she should have picked—it feels like a bit of an opportunity missed, if you ask us.