Denmark announces changes to copyright law to combat deepfakes, giving citizens rights over their own bodies, faces and voices

On June 26, 2025, the Danish government announced that it plans to amend copyright law to allow everyone to have rights over their own body, facial features and voice, in order to crack down on

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jun/27/deepfakes-denmark-copyright-law-artificial-intelligence

Denmark taking steps to boost protections against deepfake images | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/deepfake-denmark-ai-artificial-intelligence-misinformation-73ed761617ebbdb8382086287530a7f6

Denmark's Plan to Fight Deepfakes: Give Citizens Copyright to Their Own Likeness
https://gizmodo.com/denmarks-plan-to-fight-deepfakes-give-citizens-copyright-to-their-own-likeness-2000621785

The Danish Ministry of Culture has secured broad cross-party agreement and plans to submit proposed changes to current copyright law for consultation before the summer holidays. Denmark's Culture Minister Jacob Engel-Schmidt said he hopes the bill, which will be presented to parliament, will 'send a clear message that everyone has the right to decide how they look and sound.'

'This bill sends a clear message that everyone has the right to their own body, their own voice and their own facial features. But it seems that current law does not protect people from generative AI,' said Schmidt. 'Humans can be put through a digital copier called deepfakes and used for any purpose. We don't want to accept that.' He said he plans to amend copyright law to address the deepfake problem, which current law cannot fully address.

If proposed changes to copyright law are approved by the Danish parliament, Danish citizens would theoretically have the right to demand that online platforms remove content that has been shared without their consent. The regulations would also cover the creation of 'realistic digitally generated imitations' without the artist's consent, and those who violate the rules could be required to pay compensation.

However, this change in copyright law does not affect parody or satire.

'Of course, this is new territory that we are exploring, and we are ready to take additional measures if the platforms do not comply,' Schmidt said. Schmidt said he hopes other European countries will follow Denmark's lead and that he plans to share his plan with them.

If tech platforms do not comply with the new law properly, they could be subject to 'severe fines' and it could become a matter for the European Commission. 'That's why I'm convinced that the tech platforms will take this case very seriously,' Schmidt said.