| 1 | 1 | | |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW. |
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| 4 | 4 | | [Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law. |
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| 5 | 5 | | *sb0362* |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | SENATE BILL 362 |
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| 8 | 8 | | E1 5lr1240 |
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| 9 | 9 | | CF 5lr3287 |
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| 10 | 10 | | By: Senators Hester and Hettleman |
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| 11 | 11 | | Introduced and read first time: January 17, 2025 |
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| 12 | 12 | | Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings |
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| 13 | 13 | | |
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| 14 | 14 | | A BILL ENTITLED |
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| 15 | 15 | | |
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| 16 | 16 | | AN ACT concerning 1 |
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| 17 | 17 | | |
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| 18 | 18 | | Forged Digital Likenesses – Distribution – Prohibition 2 |
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| 19 | 19 | | |
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| 20 | 20 | | FOR the purpose of providing that the distribution of a certain forged digital likeness to 3 |
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| 21 | 21 | | another constitutes a statement or communication for the purpose of an action for 4 |
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| 22 | 22 | | defamation; prohibiting a person from knowingly distributing a certain forged digital 5 |
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| 23 | 23 | | likeness under certain circumstances; and generally relating to forged digital 6 |
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| 24 | 24 | | likenesses. 7 |
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| 25 | 25 | | |
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| 26 | 26 | | BY adding to 8 |
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| 27 | 27 | | Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 9 |
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| 28 | 28 | | Section 3–505 10 |
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| 29 | 29 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 11 |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12 |
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| 31 | 31 | | |
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| 32 | 32 | | BY adding to 13 |
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| 33 | 33 | | Article – Criminal Law 14 |
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| 34 | 34 | | Section 8–906 15 |
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| 35 | 35 | | Annotated Code of Maryland 16 |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 17 |
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| 37 | 37 | | |
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| 38 | 38 | | SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 18 |
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| 39 | 39 | | That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 19 |
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| 40 | 40 | | |
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| 41 | 41 | | Article – Courts and Judicial Proceedings 20 |
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| 42 | 42 | | |
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| 43 | 43 | | 3–505. 21 |
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| 44 | 44 | | |
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| 45 | 45 | | (A) IN THIS SECTION , “FORGED DIGITAL LIKEN ESS” HAS THE MEANING 22 |
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| 46 | 46 | | STATED IN § 8–906 OF THE CRIMINAL LAW ARTICLE. 23 |
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| 47 | 47 | | 2 SENATE BILL 362 |
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| 48 | 48 | | |
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| 49 | 49 | | |
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| 50 | 50 | | (B) THE DISTRIBUTION OF A FO RGED DIGITAL LIKENES S TO ANOTHER 1 |
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| 51 | 51 | | CONSTITUTES A STATEM ENT OR COMMU NICATION FOR THE PUR POSE OF AN ACTION 2 |
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| 52 | 52 | | FOR DEFAMATION . 3 |
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| 53 | 53 | | |
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| 54 | 54 | | Article – Criminal Law 4 |
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| 55 | 55 | | |
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| 56 | 56 | | 8–906. 5 |
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| 57 | 57 | | |
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| 58 | 58 | | (A) (1) IN THIS SECTION THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 6 |
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| 59 | 59 | | INDICATED. 7 |
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| 60 | 60 | | |
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| 61 | 61 | | (2) “FORGED DIGITAL LIKENE SS” MEANS A COMPUTER–GENERATED 8 |
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| 62 | 62 | | VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF AN ACTUAL AND IDENTIFIABLE INDIVID UAL OR AUDIO 9 |
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| 63 | 63 | | RECORDING OF AN ACTUAL AND IDE NTIFIABLE INDIVIDUAL ’S VOICE THAT: 10 |
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| 64 | 64 | | |
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| 65 | 65 | | (I) HAS BEEN CREATED , ADAPTED, OR MODIFIED TO BE 11 |
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| 66 | 66 | | INDISTINGUISHABLE FR OM A GENUINE VISUAL REP RESENTATION OR AUDIO 12 |
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| 67 | 67 | | RECORDING OF THE INDIVIDUAL ; 13 |
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| 68 | 68 | | |
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| 69 | 69 | | (II) MISREPRESENTS THE AP PEARANCE, SPEECH, OR BEHAVIOR 14 |
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| 70 | 70 | | OF THE INDIVIDUAL ; AND 15 |
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| 71 | 71 | | |
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| 72 | 72 | | (III) IS LIKELY TO DECEIVE A REASONABLE PERSON TO BELIEVE 16 |
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| 73 | 73 | | THAT THE VISUAL RE PRESENTATION OR AUDI O RECORDING IS GENUI NE. 17 |
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| 74 | 74 | | |
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| 75 | 75 | | (3) “VISUAL REPRESENTATION ” INCLUDES A P ICTORIAL OR MOTION 18 |
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| 76 | 76 | | PICTURE REPRESENTATI ON, REGARDLESS OF THE ME DIA USED. 19 |
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| 77 | 77 | | |
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| 78 | 78 | | (B) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO THE DISTRIB UTION OF: 20 |
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| 79 | 79 | | |
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| 80 | 80 | | (1) A DRAWING; 21 |
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| 81 | 81 | | |
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| 82 | 82 | | (2) A CARTOON; 22 |
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| 83 | 83 | | |
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| 84 | 84 | | (3) A SCULPTURE; OR 23 |
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| 85 | 85 | | |
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| 86 | 86 | | (4) A PAINTING. 24 |
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| 87 | 87 | | |
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| 88 | 88 | | (C) A PERSON MAY NOT KNOWINGLY DISTRIBUTE A FORGED DIGITAL 25 |
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| 89 | 89 | | LIKENESS IF THE PERSON: 26 |
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| 90 | 90 | | |
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| 91 | 91 | | (1) DISTRIBUTES THE FORG ED DIGITAL LIKENESS AS GENUINE; AND 27 |
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| 92 | 92 | | SENATE BILL 362 3 |
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| 93 | 93 | | |
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| 94 | 94 | | |
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| 95 | 95 | | (2) KNOWS OR REASONABLY SHOULD KNOW THE FORG ED DIGITAL 1 |
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| 96 | 96 | | LIKENESS IS NOT A GENUINE VIS UAL REPRESENTATION O R AUDIO RECORDING . 2 |
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| 97 | 97 | | |
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| 98 | 98 | | (D) A PERSON WHO VIOLATES THIS SECTION IS GUIL TY OF A MISDEMEANOR 3 |
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| 99 | 99 | | AND ON CONVICTION IS SUBJECT TO IMPRISONM ENT NOT EXCEEDING 3 YEARS OR A 4 |
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| 100 | 100 | | FINE NOT EXCEEDING $1,000 OR BOTH. 5 |
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| 101 | 101 | | |
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| 102 | 102 | | (E) IT IS AN AFFIRMATIVE DEFENSE TO A PROSECU TION UNDER THIS 6 |
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| 103 | 103 | | SECTION THAT THE DEF ENDANT TOOK REASONAB LE ACTION TO PLACE VIEWERS OR 7 |
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| 104 | 104 | | LISTENERS OF THE FOR GED DIGITAL LIKENESS ON NOTICE THAT THE FORGED 8 |
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| 105 | 105 | | DIGITAL LIKENESS WAS NOT GENUINE. 9 |
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| 106 | 106 | | |
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| 107 | 107 | | (F) THIS SECTION MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED IN A MANNER THAT INF RINGES 10 |
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| 108 | 108 | | ON THE RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH OR OF THE PRE SS AS GUARANTEED BY THE FIRST 11 |
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| 109 | 109 | | AMENDMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION OR THE MARYLAND 12 |
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| 110 | 110 | | DECLARATION OF RIGHTS. 13 |
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| 111 | 111 | | |
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| 112 | 112 | | SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall tak e effect 14 |
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| 113 | 113 | | October 1, 2025. 15 |
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