Matthew McConaughey is taking a new legal route to protect his voice and likeness as artificial intelligence makes impersonation easier and harder to police.
The Oscar-winning actor has secured approval for eight trademark applications from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office covering images, video clips and audio closely associated with him, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The trademarks include short video clips of McConaughey speaking and appearing on camera, as well as audio of him saying his well-known line “Alright, alright, alright” from the 1993 film Dazed and Confused. His legal team says the goal is to prevent AI tools or users from simulating his voice or likeness without consent.
Says McConaughey in an email,
“My team and I want to know that when my voice or likeness is ever used, it’s because I approved and signed off on it. We want to create a clear perimeter around ownership with consent and attribution the norm in an AI world.”
Jonathan Pollack, one of McConaughey’s attorneys, says they are not aware of any existing AI-generated misuse of his likeness, but view the trademarks as a preemptive defense as synthetic media becomes more widespread.
“In a world where we’re watching everybody scramble to figure out what to do about AI misuse, we have a tool now to stop someone in their tracks or take them to federal court.”
Actors and musicians have increasingly faced AI-generated fakes online, including manipulated videos, images, and voice recordings. While state right-of-publicity laws already protect performers from unauthorized commercial use of their likeness, McConaughey’s legal team believes trademarks could offer broader leverage, even in cases where content is not directly tied to selling a product.
Kevin Yorn, another attorney representing McConaughey, says the team is uncertain how the justice system will react, but notes that trademarking his client’s voice and likeness is worth a shot.
“I don’t know what a court will say in the end. But we have to at least test this.”
McConaughey and his attorneys say they ultimately hope federal law will evolve to clearly define ownership and consent in the age of AI, making defensive trademark strategies like his unnecessary in the future.
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