Senate Judiciary Committee advances NO FAKES Act on June 18

The U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary unanimously advanced S. 4591, the Nurture Originals, Foster Art, and Keep Entertainment Safe Act of 2026, known as the NO FAKES Act, The legislation would create a new federal intellectual property right that allows every individual to control the use of their voice and visual likeness in digital replicas generated The bill includes a notice-and-takedown process modeled on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. Individuals could demand removal of un The measure provides exclusions for First Amendment-protected uses, including news reporting, parody and criticism. It also exempts nonprofit libraries, archives and accredited educational institutions engaged in noncommercial research. The bill grants subpoena powers to gather evidence and would preempt future state laws on digital replicas while preserving existing state causes of action as of January 2, 2025. Some senators raised concerns during the committee process about protections for legitimate First Amendment speech and said they would continue working with sponsors on the Senate floor. No uniform federal framework currently exists for addressing un