These celebrities are protecting their likenesses from AI — one trademark at a time

• Celebrities are filing trademark applications to protect themselves in the AI era.
• Some are concerned about AI stealing their likeness, voice, or iconic phrases without consent.
• Celebrities like Taylor Swift and Jeremy Clarkson were the subject of deepfake images.

“Recently I was made aware that AI of ‘me’ falsely endorsing Donald Trump’s presidential run was posted to his site. It really conjured up my fears around AI, and the dangers of spreading misinformation,” she wrote.

Jimmy Kimmel

Jimmy Kimmel filed three trademark applications in April related to his likeness. One trademark is associated with a specific phrase.

“Hi I’m Jimmy I’m the Host of the show… thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thanks for coming.. thanks for watching at home.. thank you for joining us here,” the trademark says. “Wherein the first several words spoken are at a higher pitch than the remaining words that gradually move to a lower pitch.”

The other two were related to images of Kimmel during his time on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”

Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie, through RichLion Holdings LLC, submitted four trademark applications in early June to protect his voice and some phrases. The applications are for audio recordings of Richie saying, “Hello is it me you’re looking for,” “All Night Long,” “Easy Like Sunday Morning,” and “Say you say me.”

Jeremy Clarkson

Jeremy Clarkson, the British TV presenter known for “Top Gear” and “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” submitted trademark applications through the UK’s Intellectual Property Office in November 2025. They were officially registered in January.

Two of the trademark applications are for images of his face, while a separate trademark is for the words “Jeremy Clarkson.”

Clarkson has taken a strong stance against AI deepfakes and AI-generated content. In March 2024, he criticized scammers who used his likeness to promote cryptocurrency on social media.

In January, Clarkson condemned AI-generated images in an opinion piece for the British newspaper, The Sun. He said people created false reports about his family and friends at his farm in Cotswolds.

“On Facebook this week, we heard from just my farm alone that Gerald has died, Kaleb has had another kid, Lisa has left me and I’ve broken my leg,” Clarkson wrote, referring to his wife and friends. “All of the stories were accompanied by a completely realistic photograph. And all of them were complete nonsense.”

He added, “Do I mind? Yes. Mostly because Gerald is unused to being in the public eye and it worries him that his kids see this kind of thing online. So whoever’s doing it, pack it in.”

Backstreet Boys

The Backstreet Boys staged an iconic pop comeback in recent years and have been protecting the brand along the way. Through BSB Entertainment, Inc., the company submitted two trademark applications on June 24.

One is for the spoken words, “HI, WE’RE THE BACKSTREET BOYS.” The other is a picture of the Backstreet Boys wearing white outfits while posing in a “futuristic hallway setting.”

The boy band hasn’t spoken about AI as a group, but Nick Carter said in a 2025 interview with Billboard Brazil said AI needs checks and balances.

“We embrace technology and AI evolution, as long as there’s no abuse,” Carter said. “You have to care about melody, music, and the intention behind it. We’ve released over 10 albums in our career. Each contains our voices, blood, sweat, tears, emotions. You can’t replace that.”

In a separate 2025 interview with The Comics Beat, Carter said he used AI to help craft the official lyric video for his song, “Hey Kid,” and his comic book-themed music video series.