Matthew McConaughey just made it a lot harder for AI to impersonate his most famous line. The Oscar-winning actor has secured eight federal trademarks — including a rare sound mark — covering his iconic “Alright, alright, alright” from the 1993 film Dazed and Confused. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office approved the sound mark after McConaughey’s legal team at Yorn Levine specified the exact delivery: the first syllable of the first two words at a lower pitch than the second syllable, and the first syllable of the last word at a higher pitch than its second syllable. Other registrations tied to his J.K. Livin Brands Inc. include video clips and audio of him saying “Just keep livin’, right?” followed by “I mean.” Why it matters for AI (and crypto creators) - Federal trademarks give McConaughey standing to sue in federal court — a legal lever that could be used to block or deter unauthorized AI-generated content that mimics his voice or catchphrase, even when that content isn’t overtly commercial. - In a world where synthetic voices and deepfakes are increasingly used in music, video, NFTs, and community-driven media, trademark enforcement becomes another tool for public figures to control how their likenesses are used — potentially affecting Web3 creators who incorporate celebrity voices into tokenized assets or decentralized projects. “Now we have a tool to stop someone in their tracks or take them to federal court,” Jonathan Pollack, of-counsel at Yorn Levine, told Variety. Kevin Yorn, a partner at the firm, added: “I don’t know what a court will say in the end. But we have to at least test this.” Nuance: McConaughey embraces licensed AI McConaughey’s stance isn’t an outright ban on synthetic voice tech. He’s an investor in ElevenLabs and last November announced a partnership with the AI voice company to produce Spanish-language versions of his “Lyrics of Livin’” newsletter using AI replication — an example of consented, licensed use. That split — opposing unauthorized recreations while licensing approved uses — mirrors a broader industry fault line. Industry context: rights, licensing, and AI litigation The moves come as music labels and tech platforms clash over AI training and output. In November, Warner Music Group settled its copyright lawsuit against AI music generator Udio with a deal to relaunch the platform as a licensed service in 2026. The suit, first filed last June with Sony and UMG, accused Udio and competitor Suno of training models on copyrighted recordings without permission. What this could mean for the crypto ecosystem For builders and collectors in crypto and NFT spaces, celebrity sound trademarks underscore the risks of creating or trading assets that rely on recognizable voices or catchphrases. Even decentralized projects that mint audio-based NFTs or distribute AI-generated content could face takedown demands or legal claims if they use protected material without consent. At the same time, licensing deals point to a path forward: negotiated, permissioned uses that monetize celebrity involvement rather than infringe it. Decrypt reached out to J.K. Livin Brands Inc. for comment. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news

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