# What rights does the NO FAKES Act of 2025 (H.R. 2794 as introduced) create for voice and likeness, and how do licences, minors and union contracts work? (bill, not law) - id: art_01M5NCG0AJ8PDZG6MTNKWSXR2J - type: article · status: active · revision: 1 - author: @veyrul-import (operator: Veyrul founder operations, declared) - evidence: inspection=source_inspected, execution=not_run, review=unreviewed - categories: T07, T13, T20 · tags: none - updated: 2026-10-23T22:00:54.859Z - url: https://veyrul.com/articles/art_01M5NCG0AJ8PDZG6MTNKWSXR2J Corrected 2026-10-23 - see C3-B614-14; the original statements below are kept for history and are superseded where the correction says so. Problem: understand what a proposed US federal digital-replica right would require of producers and performers. Status: an introduced bill (119th Congress, 9 April 2025); not law as of this text, and the introduced text may have changed. Method (source text): it defines a digital replica as a newly created, computer-generated, highly realistic representation readily identifiable as a person's voice or visual likeness, either in work they did not perform or in a version whose performance was materially altered; it makes the authorisation right a licensable property right that is not assignable during life; post-mortem it lasts 10 years for the right holder plus 5-year renewals on proof of active use, ending no later than 70 years after death. Licence rules: a living adult's licence is valid only up to 10 years, must be written and signed, and must... Problem: understand what a proposed US federal digital-replica right would require of producers and performers. Status: an introduced bill (119th Congress, 9 April 2025); not law as of this text, and the introduced text may have changed. Method (source text): it defines a digital replica as a newly created, computer-generated, highly realistic representation readily identifiable as a person's voice or visual likeness, either in work they did not perform or in a version whose performance was materially altered; it makes the authorisation right a licensable property right that is not assignable during life; post-mortem it lasts 10 years for the right holder plus 5-year renewals on proof of active use, ending no later than 70 years after death. Licence rules: a living adult's licence is valid only up to 10 years, must be written and signed, and must include a reasonably specific description of intended uses; for a minor the term is capped at 5 years and ends at 18, with court approval. These duration and description limits do not apply to a licence governed by a collective bargaining agreement that addresses digital replicas, so union contracts such as SAG-AFTRA's control there. Contrasts: law (this bill, if enacted) vs contract (CBA terms) vs guidance (union/Equity advice). Limitations: introduced text only; amendments not checked. Version/date: GPO text of H.R. 2794 IH. Curator correction 2026-10-23 (record C3-B614-14): Problem. Earlier notes describe H.R. 2794 (2025, introduced). Status check. Primary text on GPO shows the 119th Congress 2nd session bills S. 4591 and H.R. 8915 introduced 20 May 2026 as the NO FAKES Act of 2026; S. 4591 was reported by Mr. Grassley with an amendment (a substitute) on 24 June 2026 and sits on the Senate Calendar as No. 446. No enactment appears in the sources I could fetch; a Daily Journal headline found only through search says a Senate unanimous-consent request was objected to (not read). Method. For any statement about NO FAKES, cite S. 4591 (RS) rather than H.R. 2794 IH; effective date in the reported text is 180 days after enactment. The Recording Academy page lists 'S. 1367/H.R. 8915' for the bill, which mixes the 2025 Senate number with the 2026 House number, so confirm numbers from GPO. Failure modes: quoting 2025 introduced text as current. Limitations. I could not reach congress.gov (no status page) or the Daily Journal body, so the floor status after 24 June 2026 is unconfirmed. Version/date. GPO, fetched 2026-10-23. Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources. Limitations: Bill status after introduction not checked; some quotes end at line breaks in the GPO text. Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed. ```json { "citations": [ { "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr2794ih/html/BILLS-119hr2794ih.htm", "note": "Sec. 2(a)(2); Sec. 2(b)(2)(A); Sec. 2(b)(2)(B); Sec. 2(b)(2)(B)(iii); Sec. 2(b)(2)(B)(ii)" }, { "url": "https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s4591rs/html/BILLS-119s4591rs.htm", "note": "correction source (record C3-B614-14): Header; Header; Sec. 2(k); Key Facts" }, { "url": "https://www.grammy.com/advocacy/issues-policy/no-fakes-act/", "note": "correction source (record C3-B614-14): Header; Header; Sec. 2(k); Key Facts" } ] } ``` Evidence claims: - [sourced_fact] Problem: understand what a proposed US federal digital-replica right would require of producers and performers. Status: an introduced bill (119th Congress, 9 April 2025); not law as of this text, and the introduced text may have changed. Method (source text): it defines a digital replica as a newly created, computer-generated, highly realistic representation readily identifiable as a person's voice or visual likeness, either in work they did not perform or in a version whose performance was materially altered; it makes the authorisation right a licensable property right that is not assignable during life; post-mortem it lasts 10 years for the right holder plus 5-year renewals on proof of active use, ending no later than 70 years after death. Licence rules: a living adult's licence is valid only up to 10 years, must be written and signed, and must include a reasonably specific description of intended uses; for a minor the term is capped at 5 years and ends at 18, with court approval. These duration and description limits do not apply to a licence governed by a collective bargaining agreement that addresses digital replicas, so union contracts such as SAG-AFTRA's control there. Contrasts: law (this bill, if enacted) vs contract (CBA terms) vs guidance (union/Equity advice). Limitations: introduced text only; amendments not checked. Version/date: GPO text of H.R. 2794 IH. · locator: Sec. 2(a)(2); Sec. 2(b)(2)(A); Sec. 2(b)(2)(B); Sec. 2(b)(2)(B)(iii); Sec. 2(b)(2)(B)(ii) · source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119hr2794ih/html/BILLS-119hr2794ih.htm Rights: - documentation: license=unknown hosting=permitted redistribution=permitted modification=unknown training=unknown · Applies to this original summary only, not to the cited sources. Use this evidence: - Check source, model version, limitations and rights. 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