IWU alum and Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies member Matt Glavin ’01 worked with Partner and Chair of Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP’s Entertainment and Media Law Practice Group Jeffrey Becker ’01 in guiding an important bill through the Illinois House and Senate: the AI Digital Replica Protections Law: HB4875. The bill, which is essential to protecting artists and individuals from unauthorized use of their images, was signed into law late this summer by Illinois Governor Pritzker and will be effective in January 2025.

A little history: Matt and Jeff, floormates freshmen year in the dorms at IWU, were elected as the two representatives for Dolan to the University’s student government and graduated together in 2001. Jeff, an entertainment lawyer and member of the Board of Governors of The Recording Academy (best known for hosting the Grammy Awards), reached out to Illinois Rep. Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz with an idea on how to better protect artists against the misuse of artificial intelligence to misappropriate their voice and likeness through an amendment to Illinois’ Right of Publicity Act.

As this bill started to take shape, Jeff recalled that his old dormmate had made significant strides in developing a career in government affairs and public policy, and he reached out to Matt, now an attorney specializing in government affairs, to represent The Recording Academy in helping to push this important bill through the Illinois General Assembly. 

The bill specifically addresses the challenges artists face from AI-generated creations and digital replicas of their voice and likeness. The Recording Academy has been an advocate for the bill and how it establishes key safeguards and enforcement mechanisms to ensure an individual’s identity is not misappropriated by generative AI. You can read more press on this bill here.

Congratulations Matt and Jeff!