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House Introduces Its Companion Version of NO FAKES Act

September 13, 2024 3:05 am

House circulates draft right of publicity privacy name likeness voice law

The House has introduced its own version of the NO FAKES Act. Apparently, at least some in the House are shifting gears from the earlier No AI FRAUD Act given the broader support for the revised version of the Senate's NO FAKES Act. This suggests some increased momentum...

Copyright Office Calls for Congressional Action on Digital Replicas

September 12, 2024 5:10 pm

united states u.s. copyright office seal

Late this summer, the U.S. Copyright Office released the first of its planned reports on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence. This one, designated as Part 1, addresses “Digital Replicas”. It was notably released the same day that members of the Senate introduced a bipartisan digital replica bill. The Report...

NO FAKES Act Introduced in Senate

September 9, 2024 6:17 pm

senate no ai fakes right of publicity digital replica federal legislation

On July 31st, right before the summer recess, a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the NO FAKES Act, which has been substantially revised and improved from the previously circulated discussion draft. The bill seeks to address concerns over the use of unauthorized digital replicas of real people in...

Copyright Office Releases Report on Digital Replicas

July 31, 2024 9:11 pm

The U.S. Copyright Office released its first report addressing Copyright and Artificial Intelligence titled "Part I: Digital Replicas." Following Congress' lead, the Copyright Office's first analysis of the issues raised by AI focuses on digital replicas, not copyright law. The report is accessible at this link. I will...

Senate Formally Introduces Digital Replica Bill

July 31, 2024 9:00 pm

After floating a discussion draft last year, a significantly revised and improved version of the legislation has been introduced in the Senate. The bill is a bipartisan effort to address AI-generated digital replicas at the federal level and is co-sponsored by Senators Koons, Blackburn, Klobuchar, and Tillis. The...

Senate Holds Hearing on Ways to Improve Draft Digital Replica Bill

May 1, 2024 6:51 pm

Yesterday, April 30, 2024, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Intellectual Property’s held a hearing on “The NO FAKES Act: Protecting Americans from Unauthorized Digital Replicas.” This was a follow-up to a prior Senate subcommittee hearing on AI which nominally focused on copyright law, but largely raised...

California Considers a Digital Replica Law for the Dead

March 22, 2024 1:22 pm

california state house right of publicity digital replica for dead postmortem bill ai artificial intelligence

Joining the frenzy of states trying to address concerns over artificial intelligence (AI) and particularly concerns expressed by the recording industry, Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan introduced a right of publicity bill in the California legislature, AB 1836, that would add a digital replica provision to California's postmortem right...

Tennessee Governor Signs ELVIS Act, Greatly Expanding State’s Publicity Statute

March 22, 2024 12:46 pm

Bill Lee governor of tennessee signs right of publicity elvis act voice artificial intelligence

Yesterday, Governor Bill Lee signed into law the ELVIS Act which replaces the prior right of publicity statute in Tennessee. It goes into effect on July 1st. I analyzed the new law in detail earlier this week. The law uncontroversially adds voice to the enumerated protections but also...

Tennessee Legislature Sends Right of Publicity Bill to Governor’s Desk

March 18, 2024 5:51 pm

elvis singing elvis act right of publicity tennessee artificial intelligence ai legislation voice likeness

Tennessee’s right of publicity law has long been driven by the ghost of Elvis, and is now likely to replace its current statute with the almost inevitable passage of the appropriately titled ELVIS Act (the Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security Act of 2024) (HB 2091/SB 2096). Last...

House Subcommittee Sends Follow-Up Questions After AI Hearing

March 12, 2024 9:16 pm

house chamber ai hearing and questions about voice likeness right of publicity privacy legislation

After the February 2nd House hearing about AI and how best to address unauthorized use of a person's voice and likeness at the federal level, two members of the House Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet sent me (Prof. Rothman) additional written questions to answer for...