S. 4591 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, May 20, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryNew federal protection for voice and likeness rights
This bill creates a federal property right that lets individuals control how their voice and visual likeness are used in digital copies—like deepfakes made with artificial intelligence. You'd have the right to decide who can create or distribute these digital replicas of you, and companies or people who do it without permission could face lawsuits and penalties. The bill includes exemptions for certain uses like news reporting and satire, and sets up a process for removing unauthorized copies from the internet.
How it affects you
If you're a public figure, performer, or anyone whose voice or face might be valuable or vulnerable to unauthorized digital copies, this gives you legal control over that. For everyone else, it means digital replicas of you can't be used without your permission. The bill doesn't directly change how most everyday people experience the internet, but it does create new legal tools for anyone—famous or not—to protect themselves from unauthorized AI-generated versions of their likeness.
Read the official summary (Reported to Senate, Jun 24, 2026)
Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2026 or the NO FAKES Act of 2026
This bill creates a federal intellectual property right to protect individuals from unauthorized digital replicas (e.g., digital content made using generative artificial intelligence) of their voice and visual likeness.
Specifically, the bill gives each individual or right holder the right to authorize (1) the use of a digital replica embodying the individual's voice or visual likeness, or (2) the use of the individual's voice or visual likeness for a product or service requiring authorization to avoid liability under the bill. This property right is not assignable during the individual’s lifetime but is licensable and does not expire upon the death of the individual.
Generally, any individual or entity that engages in specified prohibited activities (e.g., distributing a digital replica without authorization) shall be liable in a civil action and subject to related penalties. The bill exempts specified uses from liability, such as categories of conduct likely to involve protected speech under the First Amendment (e.g., news reporting, sports broadcasts, and satire).
The bill establishes (1) a notice-and-takedown process for unauthorized digital replicas; and (2) a counter-notification process, which allows an individual to contest the removal of a digital replica. The bill establishes penalties related to false or deceptive notice or counter-notice.
The bill expressly preempts state laws related to digital replicas except for causes of action under state statutes or common law in existence as of January 2, 2025.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionS. 4591
A BILL
NO FAKES Act of 2026
Sponsor: Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE) · Introduced May 20, 2026 · Commerce · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jun 24, 2026: “Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 446.”
In the news
Updated Oct 13, 2026Stories from the last 14 days that name this bill (“NO FAKES Act of 2026” or its number), from the public news feeds of national outlets across the political spectrum. Newest first, one per outlet. We don’t choose, rank or check the coverage.
Sections
The wording of this bill hasn’t changed across its 2 official versions.