Cause of action established for misappropriation of an individual's name, likeness, or voice.
This bill establishes a new legal right in Minnesota allowing individuals to sue if their name, likeness, or voice is used for commercial purposes without their permission. It defines likeness as any recognizable image of a person and voice as any sound that identifies a specific individual, covering both recorded and computer-generated versions. The law permits people to sell or license these rights and allows lawsuits to continue for up to 70 years after death if the person's identity was used commercially during that time. Courts can award damages for financial losses, profits made from the unauthorized use, and attorney fees, with triple damages available if the misuse was intentional. The bill includes exceptions for news reporting, criticism, satire, and other First Amendment-protected uses, ensuring free speech rights remain intact.
Bill status
in committee
1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Mar 9, 2026
Last action Mar 9, 2026
Floor votes
How they voted
No floor votes recorded yet.
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
1
Key actions
0
Committee
0
Mar 9, 2026
Introduced
Introduction and first reading, referred to Judiciary Finance and Civil Law
lower
1 primary · 12 co-sponsors
Sponsors
Role
Legislator
Party
State
District
P
David Gottfried
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Andy Smith
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Anquam Mahamoud
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Brion Curran
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Dan Wolgamott
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Josiah Hill
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Kari Rehrauer
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Luke Frederick
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Matt Norris
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Mike Freiberg
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
Co
Nathan Coulter
DDemocratic-Farmer-Labor
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