McConaughey Trademarks Voice, Likeness Against AI

Actor Matthew McConaughey has secured eight trademarks from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to safeguard his voice, likeness, and signature phrases against unauthorized use by artificial intelligence technologies.

The trademarks, approved over recent months with applications originally filed in 2023, include a sound mark for his iconic line "alright, alright, alright," delivered in a specific cadence with varying pitches: the first syllable of the first two words at a lower pitch than the second, and the first syllable of the third word at a higher pitch than the second. This phrase originated in McConaughey's 1993 debut role as David Wooderson in the film Dazed and Confused. Other protections cover short audio and video clips, such as a seven-second recording of him standing on a porch, a three-second clip of him seated in front of a Christmas tree, and audio of him saying "Just keep livin, right?" followed by pauses and the phrases "I mean" and "What are we gonna do?"

McConaughey, known for his early work in romantic comedies and his acclaimed dramatic roles in the 2010s that earned him an Academy Award for Dallas Buyers Club and featured him in films like Interstellar,...