SOUL Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill gives every U.S. citizen legal ownership of their "unique likeness," which covers their name, face, voice, body shape, biometric identifiers, genetic markers, and any AI-generated replicas of those traits. These rights vest automatically at birth without any registration.
• If someone creates an unauthorized deepfake or AI replica of you, you can sue them in federal court for damages ranging from $750 to $150,000 per violation. In willful cases, harm is presumed, so you do not need to prove you suffered economic or reputational damage.
• These ownership rights last for your entire life plus 50 years after death, and they cannot be taken away from you. You can only give them up through a voluntary license or waiver.
• The bill carves out exceptions for fair use, including parody, satire, news reporting, criticism, and transformative artistic works. Government activities like law enforcement and national security are also exempt.
• Online platforms must remove unauthorized fake content after receiving a takedown notice or face liability. They can qualify for safe harbor protection if they act in good faith, similar to the existing DMCA framework.
• The bill preempts all state laws that provide similar protections for a person's likeness, creating a single national standard. This replaces the current patchwork of state-level right of publicity laws.