Yesterday Thursday June 18, U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) released the following statements after their bipartisan Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe (NO FAKES) Act advanced unanimously out of the Senate Judiciary Committee. This legislation would protect the voice and visual likenesses of individuals and creators from the proliferation of digital replicas created without their consent.
“AI should empower innovation – not give scammers and online predators a free pass to exploit someone’s voice and visual likeness without permission,” said Senator Blackburn. “From artists and songwriters to students and everyday Americans, people deserve meaningful protections against deceptive deepfakes and digital impersonation. The NO FAKES Act would establish clear guardrails that protect the creative community in Tennessee and nationwide, and I am pleased that this important legislation is one step closer to becoming law.”
“Everyone deserves the right to own and protect their voice and likeness from AI deepfakes, no matter if you’re Taylor Swift or an 8th grader in Wilmington,” said Senator Coons. “AI can be used as a tool to foster creativity, but that can’t come at the expense of the unauthorized exploitation of anyone’s voice or likeness. I am grateful for the bipartisan partnership of Senators Blackburn, Klobuchar, and Tillis that has pushed this bill forward out of committee by a unanimous vote. I hope the full Senate passes it soon so we can give Americans the security they deserve.”
Additionally, Senators Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and James Lankford (R-Okla.) are original co-sponsors of this legislation. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Representatives Maria Salazar (R-Fla.) and Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.).
NO FAKES ACT
The NO FAKES Act would address the use of non-consensual digital replications in audiovisual works or sound recordings by:
- Holding individuals or companies liable if they distribute an unauthorized digital replica of an individual’s voice or visual likeness;
- Holding platforms liable for hosting an unauthorized digital replica if the platform has knowledge of the fact that the replica was not authorized by the individual depicted;
- Excluding certain digital replicas from coverage based on recognized First Amendment protections; and
- Preempting future state laws regulating digital replicas.
Senators Blackburn and Coons introduced a revised version of the NO FAKES Act last month. This version:
- Adds a counter-notice procedure to better protect Americans’ free speech rights;
- Provides an exemption for libraries, archives, and research institutions to ensure that the study of digital replicas is not inhibited; and
- Makes technical fixes to ensure that the bill works as designed for streaming music platforms.
Click here to read the bill text.
Click here to read the section-by-section.
ENDORSEMENTS
This legislation is endorsed by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), SAG-AFTRA, Motion Picture Association, YouTube, Recording Academy, Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music, IBM, TikTok, OpenAI, Disney, The Independent Film & Television Alliance (IFTA), WME, Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Human Artistry Campaign, Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), Department for Professional Employees at AFL-CIO (DPE), AFL-CIO, National Association of Broadcasters, Vermillio, Hive, National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA), American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers(ASCAP), Authors Guild, CreativeFuture, American Bar Association, National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA), Music Artists Coalition (MAC), Television Academy, Enough is Enough, Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE),Songwriters of North America, Getty Images, American Medical Association (AMA),American Federation of Musicians, and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Read statements from these supporting organizations here.
THIS LEGISLATION IS SUPPORTED and APPROVED by theMegaBullhornofTruth.com
