In a digital age where artificial intelligence can clone voices and faces with eerie accuracy, Hollywood stars are scrambling for ways to safeguard their identities. Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey has taken a proactive — and innovative — step by securing eight trademarks from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to protect his iconic likeness, voice, and catchphrases from unauthorized AI recreations.
This move, detailed in a recent Wall Street Journal report dated January 13, 2026, positions McConaughey as a pioneer in using intellectual property law to combat the rising tide of deepfakes.
The trademarks cover short video and audio clips of the 56-year-old actor, including him staring intently at the camera, smiling warmly, and delivering his signature line, "Alright, alright, alright," from the 1993 cult classic Dazed and Confused. Notably, one registration specifies the unique intonation of the phrase: the first syllables of "alright" and "alright" start low and rise, while the final "alright" begins high and descends.
Other protected elements include footage of McConaughey on a porch and in front of a Christmas tree, creating a "perimeter around ownership" as he described it. "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," McConaughey stated.
This strategy stems from growing concerns in Hollywood about AI misuse. While state right-of-publicity laws already prohibit commercial exploitation of celebrities' images without consent — in about 35 U.S. states — these protections often fall short against non-commercial deepfakes, such as viral memes or political manipulations.
Trademarks, enforceable in federal court under the Lanham Act, provide a stronger tool for challenging unauthorized uses that could confuse consumers or imply endorsement.
McConaughey's lawyers emphasized that this is the first known instance of an actor employing trademarks specifically against AI threats, though they acknowledge no current deepfakes of him exist — making this a preemptive strike.
The actor isn't entirely anti-AI; in November 2025, he partnered with ElevenLabs alongside Michael Caine to allow controlled replication of their voices for approved projects. This balanced approach highlights a broader tension: embracing technology while drawing boundaries. "We have to at least test this," one source close to the matter noted, referring to the legal viability of trademarks in AI disputes.
McConaughey's actions reflect a Hollywood-wide scramble. Celebrities like Scarlett Johansson have clashed with AI firms — her 2023 dispute with OpenAI over a voice resembling hers in ChatGPT underscored the vulnerabilities.
Tom Hanks has publicly warned fans about AI-generated ads using his face to promote scams, and deepfakes have targeted figures from Taylor Swift to President Joe Biden, spreading misinformation or explicit content. Legal experts point to precedents like White v. Samsung Electronics (1992), where a robot mimicking Vanna White violated her publicity rights, as potential blueprints for AI cases.
On the legislative front, proposals like the federal NO FAKES Act aim to establish nationwide protections against digital replicas, but progress is slow amid free-speech debates. Until then, stars are turning to tools like trademarks to fortify their defenses. As AI evolves, McConaughey's gambit could set a precedent, proving whether intellectual property can indeed keep things "alright" in an increasingly synthetic world.
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