Backstreet Boys File 2 Trademarks to Shield Likeness From AI Deepfakes
Updated
Updated · Business Insider · Jul 3
Backstreet Boys File 2 Trademarks to Shield Likeness From AI Deepfakes
3 articles · Updated · Business Insider · Jul 3
Summary
Two trademark applications filed June 24 by BSB Entertainment seek to protect the phrase “HI, WE’RE THE BACKSTREET BOYS” and a group image in a futuristic hallway setting.
The filings reflect a wider celebrity push to lock down voices, catchphrases and images as AI tools enable deepfakes, false endorsements and other nonconsensual content.
Taylor Swift filed three trademark applications in April, Jimmy Kimmel filed three the same month, and Lionel Richie submitted four in early June; Matthew McConaughey had secured eight related trademarks by February.
The rush follows clashes between AI platforms and rights holders, including backlash over OpenAI’s Sora 2 and legal action against xAI’s Grok over sexualized deepfakes.
While stars trademark their identities, what legal shield exists for ordinary people against AI deepfakes?
As new laws shield personal likeness, can AI companies innovate without being sued into oblivion?
The Backstreet Boys, AI Voice Cloning, and the 2026 Legal Revolution: From Sound Marks to the NO FAKES Act
Overview
On June 24, 2026, the Backstreet Boys filed to trademark an audio clip of their signature phrase to address the growing threat of AI voice cloning. This move aims to create a new legal tool to challenge unauthorized AI-generated content that mimics their voices, responding to the increasing ease of producing convincing celebrity sound-alikes and the current gaps in right-of-publicity and copyright laws. They join other artists exploring innovative legal strategies as AI deepfakes proliferate, highlighting both the urgency and the limitations of existing protections in the face of rapidly advancing technology.