McConaughey Wins 8 AI-Era Trademarks for Voice and Likeness as Hollywood Tests New Defenses
Updated
Updated · Variety · May 14
McConaughey Wins 8 AI-Era Trademarks for Voice and Likeness as Hollywood Tests New Defenses
9 articles · Updated · Variety · May 14
Eight trademarks granted in 2025 give Matthew McConaughey federal protection over recordings and clips tied to his voice and image, including his “Alright, alright, alright!” sound mark.
The filings, submitted in 2023, aim to create a consent-based legal perimeter as generative AI makes realistic audio and video replicas easier to produce at scale.
Trademark claims could give McConaughey a nationwide tool beyond state publicity-rights laws, though lawyers say courts may still view such protections as narrow and untested against many AI fakes.
Taylor Swift filed 3 similar trademark applications on April 24 after repeated AI impersonations, underscoring a broader push by celebrities to lock down voice and likeness rights.
The move lands amid wider industry strain: SAG-AFTRA recently tightened studio AI rules, more than 50 AI copyright cases are pending, and the No Fakes Act remains stalled in the Senate.
As stars trademark their voices against AI, can century-old laws truly govern our new digital reality?
Celebrities are building legal walls around their AI likeness, but what happens when this tech targets everyone else?
Protecting Persona in the Age of AI: McConaughey’s Landmark 2026 Trademark Filings and the Future of Celebrity Rights
Overview
In early 2026, Matthew McConaughey filed federal trademark applications for his voice and likeness, aiming to set a clear legal precedent for controlling personal attributes as AI technology rapidly advances. This proactive move responds to the growing challenge of AI-generated content and deepfakes, which make it easier than ever to create convincing digital replicas of individuals. By seeking federal trademarks, McConaughey hopes to deter unauthorized AI-generated videos that could misrepresent or exploit his persona, even if they do not directly sell a product. His applications are now under review by the USPTO, which will determine if his voice and image truly serve as commercial identifiers.