Taylor Swift successfully intervened to prevent a bedding company from trademarking "Swift Home," while other developments include an Indian AI infrastructure startup securing significant funding and a former NPR host suing Google over an AI voice. These stories, along with news of ByteDance addressing copyright concerns and an African defense tech company raising additional capital, highlight a range of activity across business, technology, and intellectual property.
A bedding firm withdrew its application to trademark "Swift Home" after pop star Taylor Swift appealed to the US patents office, according to BBC Business. The company, Cathay Home, which sells home goods through major retailers, stated that the disputed mark was not "essential to its business." Swift's team had argued that the company's mark could mislead consumers, given similarities to the singer's trademarked designs.
In other business news, an Indian AI infrastructure startup, Neysa, secured backing from U.S. private equity firm Blackstone, as reported by TechCrunch. Blackstone and co-investors will invest up to $600 million in primary equity, giving Blackstone a majority stake. Neysa also plans to raise an additional $600 million in debt financing to expand GPU capacity. This investment comes as India pushes to build homegrown AI capabilities amid surging global demand for AI computing.
Meanwhile, ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, pledged to address concerns over its new artificial intelligence video generator, Seedance 2.0, after Hollywood groups claimed it violated copyright and used the likenesses of actors without permission, Al Jazeera reported. The company told The Associated Press that it respects intellectual property rights and would strengthen safeguards.
In the tech sector, African defense tech company Terra Industries announced it raised an additional $22 million in funding, just a month after its initial $11.75 million round, according to TechCrunch. Founded by 22-year-old Nathan Nwachuku and 24-year-old Maxwell Maduka in 2024, Terra Industries aims to design infrastructure and autonomous systems to help African nations monitor and respond to threats. Nwachuku's goal is to build Africa's first defense prime, protecting critical infrastructure and resources.
Finally, David Greene, the former host of NPR's Morning Edition, is suing Google, alleging that the male podcast voice in the company's NotebookLM tool is based on his voice, as reported by TechCrunch. Greene stated that he became convinced the voice replicated his cadence and intonation. A Google spokesperson told The Washington Post that the voice used in the product is unrelated to Greene's.
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