A Hollywood actor and Japanese voice actors are responding to unauthorized AI replication of their likenesses and voices through trademark registration, lawsuits, and official AI voice businesses, as AI secures leading roles in feature films. Around January 2026, Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey began registering short video clips and audio as trademarks to protect his identity as intellectual property. He received approval for eight trademarks featuring his image and voice from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including a 7-second video of him standing in front of a doorway, a 3-second clip of him sitting in front of a Christmas tree, and his line “Alright, alright, alright” from his 1993 debut film ‘Dazed and Confused’ as a voice trademark. McConaughey told the Wall Street Journal, “Whenever my voice or likeness is used, it must be clear that it is with my approval and consent.” He is an investor in the AI voice company ElevenLabs and has collaborated to produce his newsletter in Spanish using AI voice technology. The key debate in the entertainment industry is shifting from ‘Should we use AI?’ to ‘Who grants permission, who controls it, and to whom is the revenue distributed?’