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Taylor Swift attacked for 'This Sick Beat' trademark by metal dude on YouTube

Ben Norton has uploaded a parody song in protest at her copyright application

Jess Denham
Wednesday 04 February 2015 10:45 EST
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Taylor Swift has been mocked in a metal song for trademarking 'This Sick Beat'
Taylor Swift has been mocked in a metal song for trademarking 'This Sick Beat' (Peculate)

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She was mocked mercilessly for her head-banging at last year’s Grammys and now, Taylor Swift is the subject of a metal singer’s protest song.

The “Shake It Off” star came under fire last week when she applied to trademark various lyrics from her hit album 1989, including “this sick beat” and “cause we never go out of style”.

But musician-activist Ben Norton has taken things one step further and uploaded a two-minute song to YouTube called, you guessed it, “This Sick Beat”.

Uploaded under the moniker Peculate, the video consists of the phrase repeated over and over in screamo vocals, while the three words flash up in angry reds and blacks.

“Trademarks are a direct attack on one of the most fundamental and inalienable rights of all: our freedom of speech,” Norton wrote under the track. “If you give the bourgeoisie an inch, they will take a mile, and everything else you have in the process.

“They have already privatised land, water and words. After language, they will next try to privatise air. But, although the rich can try, they will never truly own the words we use and the language we speak.”

Swift is waiting for her application to be approved by the US Patent and Trademark Office so as yet, is not the legal owner of the phrases.

Should permission be granted, Swift’s words will not be free for unauthorised use on a range of commercial products including clothing, toys, stationery, stickers, tattoo transfers, home décor, musical instruments and accessories, jewellery and non-medicated toiletries.

Oh and Christmas stockings, walking sticks and, urm, “harnesses and whips”, are off-limits too.

Norton is making no money from his song and it can only be downloaded for free.

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