Montana HB 513 (property right in voice & likeness vs. deepfakes)
Montana Name, Voice, and Visual Likeness Property Right (HB 513)
Montana · Mont. HB 513 (2025) (Ch. 685); codified in Title 30, ch. 14, MCA
- Status
- In effect
- Took effect
- January 1, 2026
- Applies to
- Any person who makes unauthorized commercial digital depictions or distributes tools designed to create them; excludes broadband internet access service providers.
- Enforced by
- Civil courts (private enforcement).
Montana gives individuals a property right in their name, voice, and visual likeness. A person may be sued for damages if, without consent, they intentionally publish, perform, distribute, or make available to the public a digital voice or visual depiction of an individual for commercial use, knowing it is an unauthorized depiction of that person. The same liability applies to distributing tools whose primary purpose is producing such unauthorized digital depictions. The right lasts 20 years after death, with exceptions for news, commentary, and parody.
Who is protected: Montana residents (and individuals domiciled in Montana at death) and their heirs/assignees for 20 years after death.
Legal detail
HB 513 (2025), codified in Title 30, ch. 14, MCA, establishes a property right in name, voice, and visual likeness and imposes civil liability for unauthorized commercial 'digital voice depictions' and 'digital visual depictions' and for distributing tools primarily designed to create them.
Key facts
| Jurisdiction | Montana |
|---|---|
| Level | State |
| Strength | Moderate |
| Enacted | May 13, 2025 |
| Citation | Mont. HB 513 (2025) (Ch. 685); codified in Title 30, ch. 14, MCA |
| Private right of action | Yes, individuals can sue |
| Penalties | Civil liability to the injured person for actual damages suffered plus any profits attributable to the unauthorized use of the individual's name, voice, or visual likeness. |
| Topics | deepfakes · AI-generated images |
| Bill text | Montana HB 513 (2025) Enrolled Bill (Ch. 685) — Name, Voice, and Visual Likeness Rights |
More AI rules in Montana
- Montana MCDPA · In effect
- Montana SB 25 election deepfakes — preliminarily enjoined as to plaintiff (2026) · In effect
- MT Right to Compute Act · In effect
- Montana SB 413 (crime to share explicit deepfakes) · In effect
- Montana HB 514 (sextortion deepfakes in privacy crime) · In effect
- Montana HB 178 (limits on government AI use) · In effect
Related deepfakes rules elsewhere
- Arkansas Frank Broyles Act AI amendment — voice and likeness protection (2025) · In effect
- Doe v. X.AI (Grok NCII deepfakes class action) · Blocked / in litigation
- xAI v. Harwood (Grok NCII Counter-Suit 2026) · Blocked / in litigation
- Arizona HB 2133 deepfake sexual content — vetoed 2026 · Vetoed
- Arizona HB 2678 — AI-generated CSAM criminalized · In effect
- MN HF 1606 AI Nudification Ban (2026) · In effect
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