Louisiana · Senate Bill · 2024 Regular Session
SB9
Louisiana SB 9 — Liability for Distributors of Synthetic Media (R.S. 9:2800.30)

Status ● Failed Effective N/A Passage Likelihood N/A

WHAT THIS BILL REGULATES · 1 REQUIREMENT TYPE

How Is This Bill Enforced

Enforcement Authority
Dual enforcement. The attorney general may enforce and investigate violations. The attorney general or district attorney may bring an action for injunctive or other relief on behalf of the state. Any person who is the subject of or who is misled by synthetic media may maintain a private civil action for injunctive relief and damages.
Private Right of Action
may bring an action for injunctive or other relief on behalf of the state.
Penalties
Prevailing plaintiffs may recover equitable relief, actual damages, costs and reasonable attorney fees, and exemplary damages of not less than $1,000 per plaintiff. In state-initiated actions, courts may award restitution to persons suffering loss upon proof submitted to the satisfaction of the court. Remedies under this Section are exclusive for actions brought pursuant to this Section, but do not preclude actions under other statutory provisions against similar conduct.

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
R.S. 9:2800.30
Liability for distributors of synthetic media
Publisher

(A) As used in this Section "synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A)" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.

(B) 1 A person unlawfully engages in distribution of misleading synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A) pursuant to this Section when he knowingly and intentionally distributes or makes publicly available synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A) purported to be of or by a natural person: (1) Without the consent of the natural person; (2) Without constantly displaying an obvious notice within the synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A) identifying the media as synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A); and (3) With the intent to mislead others about the acts of the natural person.

(C) Any person who is the subject of or who is misled by synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A) may maintain a civil action to enjoin or restrain the distribution of the synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A) and may in the same action seek damages from the person who distributed the synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A). A court may award any of the following remedies to a plaintiff prevailing in an action brought pursuant to this Section: (1) Equitable relief. (2) Damages. (3) Costs and fees, including reasonable attorney fees. (4) Exemplary damages in an amount not less than one thousand dollars per plaintiff.

(D) The attorney general may enforce the provisions and investigate violations of this Section.

(E) The attorney general or district attorney may on behalf of the state bring an action for temporary or permanent injunctive or other relief in a court of competent jurisdiction for any violation of this Section. The court may, upon entry of final judgment finding a violation of this Section, award restitution when appropriate to any person suffering loss because of a violation of this Section if proof of the loss is submitted to the satisfaction of the court.

(F) This Section shall not prohibit actions under other statutory provisions against conduct or practices similar to those declared to be unlawful by Subsection B of this Section. However, the remedies provided in this Section are the exclusive remedies for actions brought pursuant to this Section.

This section creates the entire operative framework for Louisiana's synthetic media liability statute. It defines synthetic media as algorithmically generated video or voice recordings that appear to depict actual events, then establishes three conjunctive elements for unlawful distribution: the media must be distributed without the depicted person's consent, without a constant obvious disclosure label, and with intent to mislead about the depicted person's acts.

The enforcement structure is dual-track. Private plaintiffs — either persons depicted in or misled by the synthetic media — may sue for injunctive relief, actual damages, attorney fees, and exemplary damages of at least $1,000 per plaintiff. The attorney general or district attorney may also bring state enforcement actions for injunctive relief and restitution. A savings clause preserves other statutory remedies but makes the remedies in this Section exclusive for claims brought under it.

Compliance actions 1 item
1
Any person who distributes or makes publicly available synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A) purporting to be of or by a natural person must either (1) obtain the depicted person's consent, or (2) constantly display an obvious notice within the media identifying it as synthetic mediaSynthetic media"Synthetic media" means any video or voice recording that has been fully or partially generated by algorithms and appears to be a record of actual events.R.S. 9:2800.30(A). Failure to do so, combined with knowledge, intent, and intent to mislead about the depicted person's acts, constitutes unlawful distribution.
T-02.1

Passage Likelihood

Failed
Status Failed
Final action Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.

Legislative History

2024-02-25 Prefiled and under the rules provisionally referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.
2024-03-11 Introduced in the Senate; read by title. Rules suspended. Read second time and referred to the Committee on Judiciary A.

Entry Last Reviewed

2026-05-16
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