Copyright protects a recording, a script or a photograph. It does not protect a voice or a face as such. That gap is why well-known people are turning to trade mark law as AI imitation becomes cheap.
Three filings
Matthew McConaughey holds US registrations for sound marks, including his delivery of “Alright, alright, alright”. In April 2026 Taylor Swift applied to register two short recordings of her voice and an image of herself on stage; the applications were reported as pending in May. On 5 October 2026 Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, applied to the EU Intellectual Property Office to register a four-second recording of her voice saying, in Italian, that she is Giorgia Meloni. The application is under examination. The Italian actor Luca Ward registered a voice mark at the same office earlier in 2026. She has also brought a civil claim in Italy over deepfake images.
What a trade mark does
A trade mark protects a sign used in trade to show where goods or services come from. It covers the goods and services listed in the registration. It bites when someone uses the same or a confusingly similar sign commercially. A fake video that is not selling anything, or that uses different words, may not be trade mark use at all. US commentators describe these registrations as an additional tool that sits alongside other rights.
Where the stronger protection is
United States. State rights of publicity, the federal Take It Down Act on intimate images, and a proposed federal right in digital replicas, the NO FAKES Act, which a Senate committee approved in June 2026 and which is not yet law.
European Union. The AI Act’s duty to label deepfakes has applied since August 2026. Italy made harmful deepfakes a criminal offence in 2025.
United Kingdom. There is no personality right. In March 2026 the government said it would consult on one.
A sound mark stops a counterfeit brand. It does not stop a counterfeit person.
For anyone whose voice or image has commercial value, registration is cheap insurance. It is not the main defence.
This article is general information on the law as at November 2026. It is not legal advice and has not been updated since that date. See the terms of use.