Three words from a 1993 movie are now on the federal trademark register. In January, Variety reported that Matthew McConaughey's lawyers at Yorn Levine had "secured eight trademarks from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office over the last several months," including a sound mark on audio of him saying "Alright, alright, alright!" The goal, per Variety, was protecting "his voice and likeness from unauthorized AI misuse." Kevin Yorn was refreshingly honest about it: "I don't know what a court will say in the end. But we have to at least test this."
I pulled the USPTO records. Both registrations belong to J.K. Livin Brands, Inc., not to McConaughey personally. That's the first lesson. The company owns the asset, so the company's paperwork matters.
Takeaway #1: The registration protects a delivery, not just three words
FROM THE RULE
"The mark is a sound. The mark consists of a man saying "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT", wherein the first syllable of the first two words is at a lower pitch than the second syllable, and the first syllable of the last word is at a higher pitch than the second syllable."
What it means for you. The USPTO record doesn't describe a phrase in a font. It describes a sound, down to the pitch of each syllable. The drawing type is "NO DRAWING-SENSORY MARK." That's the clever part: an AI clone saying this line, this way, copies what the registration describes. Other lines fall outside it.
The registration also covers specific goods and services. Reg. No. 8070191 (registered Dec. 16, 2025) is for "Downloadable audio-visual media content," including recordings "in the field of entertainment featuring television series, comedies, and dramas." Reg. No. 7995951 (registered Oct. 21, 2025) covers "personal appearances by an actor and celebrity" and "film and television show production service." Both list first use in commerce in January 2025, more than a year after the December 21, 2023 filing date.
Your move. If your voice or catchphrase is part of your brand, start using it as a brand: on your site, your merch, your show intro, consistently. A trademark is built on use, and the USPTO wants to see it.
Takeaway #2: Trademark law asks about confusion, not copying
FROM THE RULE
"The term "trademark" includes any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination thereof ... to identify and distinguish his or her goods, including a unique product, from those manufactured or sold by others and to indicate the source of the goods, even if that source is unknown."
What it means for you. A trademark's job is to tell the public who a product comes from. So the big question in any case is whether a use is "likely to cause confusion." The federal false-endorsement rule in 15 U.S.C. §1125(a)(1)(A) covers a use in commerce that is likely to cause confusion "as to the affiliation, connection, or association" of one person with another, or "as to the origin, sponsorship, or approval" of goods or services.
That's why the strategy is a test, not a guarantee. An AI ad where a fake McConaughey says his line and sells a truck looks like a classic confusion case. A parody video that sells nothing is a much harder fit. Trademark law generally needs use "in connection with any goods or services." Variety reports the lawyers hope the marks could deter misuse "including for AI video that isn't explicitly selling anything." No court has ruled on that yet. The devil is in the details, and here the details are the goods and services listed on the registration.
There's another layer. Variety also reports McConaughey is an investor in ElevenLabs and partnered with it on a Spanish-language version of his newsletter "with a likeness of his voice." Consent is the business. The registrations help him say no to the uses he didn't approve, so his yes is worth more.
Your move. Trademarks sit on top of your state right of publicity. They don't replace it. If you license your voice, list in the contract exactly which marks you own, which uses are approved, and who has the right to enforce them.
Sample wording (our illustration): "Licensee acknowledges that Talent's company owns the sound marks listed in Exhibit A and will not use them, or any confusingly similar voice, except as approved in writing."
And always remember, don't sign it till you read it, my friends.
General information, not legal advice. Reading this doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. Talk to a lawyer before you file or license a mark.
Sources
- USPTO TSDR, Serial No. 98325548 / Reg. No. 8070191 (ALRIGHT ALRIGHT ALRIGHT, sound mark, Class 9)
- USPTO TSDR, Serial No. 98325529 / Reg. No. 7995951 (sound mark, Class 41)
- Variety, 'Matthew McConaughey Trademarks 'Alright, Alright, Alright!' and Other IP as Legal Protections Against 'AI Misuse'', Jan 14, 2026
- 15 U.S.C. §1127 (Lanham Act definitions)
- 15 U.S.C. §1125(a) (false designation of origin; false endorsement)
