Deepfakes, Image Rights and Copyright: Legal Challenges for Artists and Performers in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26422/RIPI.2026.espIA.lehKeywords:
deepfakes, digital clones, generative artificial intelligence, copyright, image rights, right of publicity, artists and performers, algorithmic governance, post-mortem digital legacy, proof of consentAbstract
This article examines the legal challenges posed by deepfake technologies and digital cloning for artists and performers in the context of generative AI. It demonstrates that the traditional copyright and image rights regime is insufficient to govern digital replicas that capture the performative essence of the interpreter. Four technological families are addressed —text-to-video, voice cloning, facial reenactment, and body motion transfer— alongside the normative fragmentation that forces artists to simultaneously invoke multiple protection lines, generating legal uncertainty and power asymmetries.
Three axes are developed: modular contractual architecture for digital clone licenses with operational remedies; algorithmic visibility and performer displacement through synthetic content; and post-mortem digital legacy governance focused on regulating inputs rather than outputs. Recent legislative developments (ELVIS Act, NY § 50-f, California § 3344, Danish proposal) converging in recognizing “digital replica” as an autonomous category are examined, as is the “liar’s dividend” on the evidentiary level. It concludes that performative identity is migrating toward a specialized intellectual property scheme requiring profound legal reconceptualization that balances performer protection with freedom of expression and the right to information.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lucas Lehtinen
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