Hawaii · House Bill · Thirty-Third Legislature, 2026
HB2607
Hawaii House Bill 2607 — Relating to Publicity Rights

Status ● Failed Effective N/A Passage Likelihood L

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 1 REQUIREMENT TYPE

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
Enforcement follows the existing Hawaii publicity rights regime in HRS Chapter 482P. The bill itself creates no new enforcement mechanism; it expands the scope of the existing right of publicity to encompass AI deepfake likenesses.
Private Right of Action
Enforcement follows the existing Hawaii publicity rights regime in HRS Chapter 482P. The bill itself creates no new enforcement mechanism; it expands the scope of the existing right of publicity to encompass AI deepfake likenesses.
Penalties
Remedies are those available under existing HRS Chapter 482P (Publicity Rights), which generally provides for actual damages, profits attributable to the unauthorized use, and injunctive relief. The bill itself does not add new remedies.

What This Bill Requires

Verbatim statutory text on the left; plain-language analysis and a per-section checklist on the right. Numbered markers cross-link to the matching checklist row.

Statutory Text
Analysis & Obligations
HRS § 482P-1 (as amended)
Amendment to definitions in publicity rights statute
DeveloperPublisher

Section 1 (definitions added) SECTION 1. Section 482P-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended as follows: 1. By adding two new definitions to be appropriately inserted and to read: ""Artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" has the same meaning as defined in section 11-303.HRS § 482P-1" has the same meaning as defined in section 11-303. "Artificial intelligence deepfakeArtificial intelligence deepfake"Artificial intelligence deepfake" means any image, audio, video, or other media that: (1) Is entirely created using artificial intelligence and would falsely appear to a reasonable person to be authentic; or (2) Is materially altered by artificial intelligence and the alteration would cause a reasonable person to have a fundamentally different understanding of the altered media when comparing it to an unaltered version.HRS § 482P-1" means any image, audio, video, or other media that: (1) Is entirely created using artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" has the same meaning as defined in section 11-303.HRS § 482P-1 and would falsely appear to a reasonable person to be authentic; or (2) Is materially altered by artificial intelligenceArtificial intelligence"Artificial intelligence" has the same meaning as defined in section 11-303.HRS § 482P-1 and the alteration would cause a reasonable person to have a fundamentally different understanding of the altered media when comparing it to an unaltered version."

Section 1 (likeness amended) 1 2. By amending the definition of "likenessLikeness"Likeness" means an image, photograph, painting, sketching, model, diagram, artificial intelligence deepfake, or other recognizable representation of an individual's face or body, and includes, in the case of a personality, a characteristic.HRS § 482P-1" to read: ""LikenessLikeness"Likeness" means an image, photograph, painting, sketching, model, diagram, artificial intelligence deepfake, or other recognizable representation of an individual's face or body, and includes, in the case of a personality, a characteristic.HRS § 482P-1" means an image, photograph, painting, sketching, model, diagram, artificial intelligence deepfakeArtificial intelligence deepfake"Artificial intelligence deepfake" means any image, audio, video, or other media that: (1) Is entirely created using artificial intelligence and would falsely appear to a reasonable person to be authentic; or (2) Is materially altered by artificial intelligence and the alteration would cause a reasonable person to have a fundamentally different understanding of the altered media when comparing it to an unaltered version.HRS § 482P-1, or other recognizable representation of an individual's face or body, and includes, in the case of a personality, a characteristic."

Section 2 SECTION 2. This Act does not affect rights and duties that matured, penalties that were incurred, and proceedings that were begun before its effective date.

Section 4 SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Section 1 amends Hawaii's right-of-publicity definitions section by adding two new defined terms — artificial intelligence (cross-referencing HRS § 11-303) and artificial intelligence deepfake — and by inserting artificial intelligence deepfake into the existing definition of likeness. The practical effect is that any unauthorized commercial use of an AI-generated or AI-materially-altered depiction of a real individual now falls squarely within Chapter 482P's existing publicity-rights cause of action.

The section creates no new affirmative compliance duty on AI developers, platforms, or generators. Instead, it expands the universe of conduct that triggers existing publicity-rights liability — essentially clarifying that an AI deepfake of a person is legally indistinguishable from a photograph or painting of that person for purposes of consent and commercial-use rules.

Compliance actions 1 item
1
No person may commercially use an AI-generated or materially AI-altered depiction of an individual's face, body, or characteristic without consent, because AI deepfakes are now expressly included within the protected scope of an individual's likenessLikeness"Likeness" means an image, photograph, painting, sketching, model, diagram, artificial intelligence deepfake, or other recognizable representation of an individual's face or body, and includes, in the case of a personality, a characteristic.HRS § 482P-1 under Hawaii's right of publicity.
CP-02.4

Passage Likelihood

Failed
Status Failed
Final action The committee(s) on ECD recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.

Legislative History

2026-01-28 Introduced and Pass First Reading.
2026-02-02 Referred to ECD, JHA, referral sheet 6
2026-02-02 Bill scheduled to be heard by ECD on Friday, 02-06-26 8:30AM in House conference room 423 VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE.
2026-02-06 The committee(s) on ECD recommend(s) that the measure be deferred.

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-10
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