The NO FAKES Act, a bipartisan, bicameral bill introduced by a group of Congress members, aims to establish a federal intellectual property right for an individual's voice and likeness. This legislation would grant individuals the authority to control how their voice or visual likeness is used in digital replicas or other products and services.
The bill, sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn, Chris Coons, Thom Tillis, and Amy Klobuchar, along with Representatives Maria Salazar, Madeleine Dean, Nathaniel Moran, Becca Balint, and Laurel Lee, outlines a right that cannot be assigned during the life of the right holder but can be licensed. Upon the death of the individual, the right becomes transferable or licensable and would terminate no longer than 70 years after the right holder's death.
The latest version of the bill includes a "counter-notification" procedure to challenge notifications of violations, and additional exclusions for libraries and research institutions. This reflects an effort to balance the rights of content creators with the needs of educational and research entities.
The bill was first introduced in the Senate in October 2023, with the goal of protecting individuals' voices and likenesses from unfair use through generative artificial intelligence. It was later introduced in the House by a group of representatives, including Salazar, Dean, Moran, Morelle, Wittman, and Schiff.
Congress has long been concerned about the misuse of AI to create unauthorized digital replicas of individuals and their works. In April 2024, the Senate Subcommittee on Intellectual Property heard from six witnesses, who emphasized the need to balance First Amendment rights with the need for artists to have control over their likeness.
Industry leaders, including OpenAI, The Walt Disney Company, Warner Music Group, the Authors Guild, the RIAA, the MPA, Universal Music Group, and SAG-AFTRA, have expressed support for the bill, recognizing the importance of protecting voice and likeness.
In April 2026, Senators Blackburn and Peter Welch held a roundtable with over 20 artists during the Recording Academy’s "GRAMMYs on the Hill Advocacy Day." The event highlighted the growing support for the NO FAKES Act and the TRAIN Act, which seeks to increase transparency in the use of copyrighted works to train generative AI models.
The RIAA, through its chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier, has praised the momentum for the bill, noting that 92% of Americans support a federal law to protect voice and likeness. Glazier emphasized that the NO FAKES Act provides essential protections while preserving freedom of expression and supporting the advancement of American AI technology.
Recent actions by artists like Taylor Swift, who has filed trademark applications for voice clips and images, underscore the growing awareness and proactive steps being taken to protect personal likenesses from AI-related theft. These developments reflect a broader trend in the industry toward safeguarding intellectual property in the digital age.
Services like IP Defender track filings across national trademark databases, which can help catch conflicts early.