Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB513: Revise laws related to use of name, voice, and likeness of individuals and penalties for unauthorized use
Status: Signed into law, May 19, 2025
What the bill says
An act revising laws related to the name, voice, and visual likeness of individuals; providing rights in the use of a name, voice, or visual likeness; providing penalties; providing definitions; and providing a delayed effective date.
From the engrossed text:
AN ACT REVISING LAWS RELATED TO THE NAME, VOICE, AND VISUAL LIKENESS OF INDIVIDUALS; PROVIDING RIGHTS IN THE USE OF A NAME, VOICE, OR VISUAL LIKENESS; PROVIDING PENALTIES; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; AND PROVIDING A DELAYED EFFECTIVE DATE. Section 1. Property right in use of names, voices, and visual likenesses -- penalties for unauthorized use. (1) An individual has property rights in their name, voice, and visual likeness, if the individual or (b) domiciled in this state at the time of their death. (2) Whether or not an individual commercially benefits during their lifetime, their (b) do not expire on the death of the individual to whom the right applies; and (c) are exclusive to the individual to whom the right applies during their lifetime, subject to the transfer of rights as provided in subsection (2)(a), and to the rights holder's executors, heirs, transferees, or devisees for a period of 20 years after the death of the individual. (3) A person is liable for damages as set forth in subsection (4) if the person, without consent of the individual exercising the individual's property rights or the holder of the individual's property rights: (a) distributes, transmits, or otherwise makes available to the public an algorithm, software, tool, or other technology, service, or device with actual and specific knowledge that the primary purpose of …
Sponsors
- Cohenour, Jill (D, 83) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : Chapter Number Assigned
- : (H) Signed by Governor
- : (H) Transmitted to Governor
- : (S) Signed by President
- : (H) Signed by Speaker
- : (H) Returned from Enrolling
- : (H) Sent to Enrolling
- : (S) 3rd Reading Governor's Amendments
- : (H) Transmitted to Senate
- : (H) 3rd Reading Governor's Amendments
Votes
- Do Concur (April 30, 2025): 50 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Do Concur (April 30, 2025): 100 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Do Concur (April 29, 2025): 47 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Do Concur (April 29, 2025): 99 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Do Concur (April 17, 2025): 99 yea, 0 nay, passed
- Do Concur (April 16, 2025): 92 yea, 6 nay, passed
Subjects: Liability, Privacy, Information Technology
Common questions
- What is HB513?
- HB513 is a bill in the Montana Legislature (2025 Regular Session): Revise laws related to use of name, voice, and likeness of individuals and penalties for unauthorized use.
- What does HB513 do?
- In its own words: An act revising laws related to the name, voice, and visual likeness of individuals; providing rights in the use of a name, voice, or visual likeness; providing penalties; providing definitions; and providing a delayed effective date.
- What is the status of HB513?
- Signed into law as of May 19, 2025. Latest action: Chapter Number Assigned (May 19, 2025).
- Who sponsored HB513?
- Cohenour, Jill (D, 83).
- Where is the official record for HB513?
- On the Montana Legislature website: https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC3983
Source: official Montana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.