regulation · June 18, 2026
By Joe Jurczyk, Editor
NO FAKES Act advances out of Senate Judiciary Committee
The bill would create an intellectual property right in a person's voice and visual likeness, with platform penalties of up to $750,000 per unauthorized digital replica.
The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the NO FAKES Act by voice vote. The bill would grant individuals intellectual property rights in their voice and visual likeness, require platforms to remove unauthorized deepfake images unless licensed, and prohibit both distributing unauthorized replicas and offering services designed to create them. Penalties on platforms would reach $750,000 per unauthorized embodiment. Exemptions cover parody, news and documentaries, and a counter-notification process addresses mistaken removals.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Chris Coons with fifteen co-sponsors split across both parties, including Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Amy Klobuchar. TikTok, YouTube and SAG-AFTRA have backed it.
Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, Eric Schmitt and Alex Padilla raised First Amendment concerns. NetChoice argued the bill "creates a dangerous financial incentive for platforms to aggressively over-remove lawful content." It has not been scheduled for floor consideration.
Why it matters for digital humans: Every vendor in this directory that clones a face or a voice depends on how likeness rights are ultimately defined. A federal IP right in likeness would reshape consent, licensing and retention practices across the category.