We wrote this because consent is a hard rule in Madwackd Studio: no custom voice is made until the speaker's permission is confirmed, and that confirmation lives in the project's rights pack. Here is what that permission should look like, what the law says as of November 8, 2026, and a checklist you can copy.
What counts as consent?
A verbal "sure" is not consent you can rely on. Consent you can show someone later has five parts:
- Who. The speaker's name and signature, and a statement that the voice is theirs.
- What for. The specific uses: which videos, which channels, whether ads are included, whether the clone can say new words or only re-record a script.
- How long. A time period, and what happens to the voice model and the sample when it ends.
- Take-backs. Whether the speaker can revoke it, and how.
- Money. Any payment, or a clear statement that there is none.
California's AB 2602 sets a useful bar even outside California: a contract provision for a digital replica of a performer's voice or likeness is enforceable only if it describes the intended uses with reasonable specificity, or the performer was represented by counsel or a union (Covington, Sept 2024). "Any use, forever" is exactly the clause the law was written against.
The laws that now protect a voice
This is not a complete list, and the details are for a lawyer. These are the ones a creator or a small business should know exist.
| Law | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee, ELVIS Act (HB 2091), enacted March 2024 | Adds voice to the state's right of publicity; prohibits knowingly distributing an unauthorized digital replica, and reaches tools whose primary purpose is making them | Covington |
| Illinois, HB 4875, signed August 2024 | Amends the Right of Publicity Act: no knowingly distributing a sound recording or audiovisual work that contains an unauthorized digital replica of a person's voice, image or likeness | IPWatchdog |
| California, AB 2602 and AB 1836, signed September 17, 2024 | AB 2602: digital replica contract terms must specify uses and the performer must be represented. AB 1836: no commercial digital replicas of deceased performers without the estate's consent | Governor of California |
| Federal, FTC impersonation rule, February 2024 | Final rule on impersonating government and businesses; a supplemental proposal would extend it to impersonating individuals, citing AI voice cloning | FTC |
| Federal, NO FAKES Act (proposed) | Would create a federal right over your own digital replica; introduced in the Senate July 31, 2024 and not law as of this writing | Covington |
Other states have passed or are moving on similar bills. If your business or your speaker is in a state not listed, assume a similar rule exists and get consent anyway. It costs a page of paper.
Who you can never clone
- Celebrities and public figures, including politicians, with or without a disclaimer.
- Deceased people, without the estate's written consent (California's AB 1836 is explicit).
- Anyone, to make them say something they did not say in a realistic way. Platforms treat that as manipulated media and the laws above treat it as an unauthorized replica.
- A customer or employee from a recording you happen to have. Having the audio is not having the permission.
What the platforms ask for
Separate from the law, the places you publish have rules. YouTube requires disclosure of realistic AI-generated or altered content through its AI use setting, lists cloning your own voice for voiceovers as a minor use that needs no disclosure, and may penalize creators who consistently fail to disclose (YouTube Help). TikTok's Ads Manager requires its AI-generated content toggle on ads whose audio is completely AI-generated or significantly modified by AI (TikTok Ads help). Meta requires disclosure of realistic-sounding altered audio in organic posts and in social-issue, election and political ads (Meta policy). The label rules for ads are in our AI voiceover for ads guide.
How Madwackd Studio handles it
Today the studio's voiceovers come from stock voice styles, so no one's real voice is cloned. Any custom voice, when it is offered, goes through the consent step first: you confirm it is your own voice or that you hold written permission from the speaker, and you name them. The wording, the time and a fingerprint of the sample go into the project's rights pack, which you can download as CSV or PDF alongside prompts, versions, model IDs and receipts. We never make voices of celebrities or public figures. Details on the Voice and Trust and safety pages.
Consent checklist you can copy
- Speaker's full name and signature, with the date.
- "This is my voice" statement, or the speaker's authority to grant rights to it.
- Exact uses: project names, channels, ads yes or no, new words yes or no.
- Territory, if it matters to you.
- Time period and what happens to the model and sample afterwards.
- Revocation: whether, how, and how fast you will stop.
- Payment, or none.
- A copy of the sample recording, with its date.
- Who holds the file and where (your rights pack, your contracts folder).
- A line that the speaker is over 18, or a parent or guardian's signature.
Questions people ask
Is it legal to clone my own voice?
Cloning your own voice for your own videos is the clear case: you are the speaker and you consent. YouTube even lists cloning your own voice for voiceovers as a minor use that needs no disclosure. Keep a record that it is your voice, and read the platform's terms on what it may do with your sample. This is general information, not legal advice.
Can I clone a celebrity voice for a parody or a joke?
Do not. Tennessee's ELVIS Act, Illinois' HB 4875 and California's digital replica laws now treat a person's voice as protected, and parody is not a safe harbor you should bet an ad on. Madwackd Studio never makes voices of celebrities or public figures.
Do I need consent to clone an employee's or a client's voice?
Yes, in writing, naming the uses, the time period and whether it can be revoked. California's AB 2602 requires that contracts for digital replicas describe the intended uses with reasonable specificity. Treat that as the standard everywhere.
What should a voice consent form include?
The speaker's name and signature, a statement that it is their voice, the exact uses (which videos, which channels, ads or not), the time period, whether it can be revoked and how, any payment, and a copy of the sample. Madwackd Studio stores the consent wording, time and a fingerprint of the sample in the project's rights pack.
What can I do if someone clones my voice without permission?
Document it, report it to the platform where it appears (YouTube, TikTok and Meta all take reports on synthetic media), and talk to a lawyer about your state's right-of-publicity or digital replica law. The FTC's impersonation rule covers businesses and government today and the agency has proposed extending it to individuals.