Creatives Selling to AI: Rights Expert Katarina Feder on Voice, Likeness, and Contracts
In the 'Know Your Rights' section of CULTURED, Katarina Feder, who serves as the vice president of the Artists Rights Society, explores the rights of artists in today’s digital landscape. She highlights the importance of licensing voices and likenesses for AI, the legal structures surrounding fashion partnerships, and ongoing lawsuits against AI music creators. Feder emphasizes that state right-of-publicity laws, particularly in California, safeguard voices and images. She provides examples such as ElevenLabs with Art Garfunkel and David Hasselhoff, along with Meta's licensing of voices from Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and John Cena. Additionally, she discusses contract considerations for artists in fashion, referencing Jonathan Anderson's projects, and touches on the lawsuit involving Google’s Lyria, settlements from Suno and Udio, ongoing legal battles, and the stalled NO FAKES Act in Congress.
Key facts
- Katarina Feder is vice president of the Artists Rights Society (ARS), which has protected artists' intellectual property since 1987.
- Voices and faces are not copyrightable; protection comes from state right-of-publicity laws, with California among the strongest.
- ElevenLabs has signed celebrities like Art Garfunkel and David Hasselhoff for AI voice generation.
- Meta has licensed voices of Judi Dench, Kristen Bell, and John Cena.
- Sam Altman's attempt to use Scarlett Johansson's voice for ChatGPT failed after she declined and lawyered up.
- The NO FAKES Act, which would prevent AI exploitation of likenesses, is stalled in committee.
- Google's Lyria is being sued by indie musicians in Illinois for allegedly ingesting copyrighted songs.
- Suno settled with Warner Music Group; Udio settled with Warner and Universal.
- A German court ruled against Suno, rejecting fair use arguments, the first European ruling on generative music tools.
- Jonathan Anderson collaborated with Sheila Hicks and Lynda Benglis for Dior, involving them in the creative process.
Entities
Artists
- Katarina Feder
- Art Garfunkel
- David Hasselhoff
- Michael Caine
- Judi Dench
- Kristen Bell
- John Cena
- Scarlett Johansson
- Matthew McConaughey
- Frederica von Stade
- KAWS
- Yves Saint Laurent
- Piet Mondrian
- Halston
- Andy Warhol
- Roberto Cavalli
- Vivienne Westwood
- Jeremy Scott
- Rime (Joseph Tierney)
- Katy Perry
- Banksy
- Jonathan Anderson
- Sheila Hicks
- Lynda Benglis
- Sam Altman
Institutions
- Artists Rights Society (ARS)
- CULTURED
- ElevenLabs
- Meta
- OpenAI
- YouTube
- SoundCloud
- Recording Industry Association of America
- Twitch
- Warner Music Group
- Universal Music Group
- Sony Music
- GEMA
- The Atlantic
- Dior
- Moschino
- Uniqlo
- Playbill
Locations
- California
- Illinois
- Tennessee
- New York
- Montana
- Maine
- United States
- Japan
- China
- Germany
- Munich
- Massachusetts
- Southern District of New York