The ability of artificial intelligence to replicate the identity of people is a growing concern among those who have made their voice and appearance their way of life. Protecting them becomes imperative, and it is the path that actor Matthew McConaughey has chosen to combat the misuse of his image by technology.
Through his attorneys at the Yorn Levine firm, McConaughey has registered as a trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Over the last few weeks, the organization has approved up to eight applications from the actor, some of them presented in 2023, related to his voice, his popular expressions or his image, as has been exclusively announced. The Wall Street Journall.
The trademark would allow McConaughey to stop possible unauthorized images
The goal of the movement is to prevent applications or users from simulating the actor’s appearance without permission, and if this happens, to have a registered trademark and its corresponding legal framework to stop any unauthorized duplication of Matthew McConaughey.
Trademarks include a seven-second clip of the actor standing on a porch, a three-second clip of him sitting in front of a Christmas tree or audio of him saying “Alright, alright, alright,” his famous line from the 1993 film “Dazed and Confused.” Also an audio where he says: “Let’s keep living, right?”, followed by a pause, then “I mean..”, followed by another pause, and ends with “What else are we going to do?”
“My team and I want to be sure that when my voice or image is used, it is because I approve and sign it.“McConaughey commented in an email to the aforementioned media.”We want to create a clear framework around ownership, where consent and attribution are the norm in an AI world”.
According to The Wall Street Journalsome state publicity rights laws already protect actors from having their likeness stolen to sell products. However, McConaughey’s lawyers believe that the threat of a lawsuit would help deter misuse more broadly, since it would include AI images and videos that are not intended to sell products.
In addition, the movement could help the actor generate new business opportunities or protect others that he already has in place. Matthew McConaughey is an investor in the artificial intelligence company ElevenLabs and earlier this January announced a partnership with it to develop a Spanish version of its “Lyrics of Livin'” audio newsletter.
