Luke Littler applies to trademark his face to combat AI fakes

## Summary
Luke Littler applies to trademark his face to combat AI fakes 58 minutes ago Share Save Laura Cress BBC Technology Share Save PA Media Teenager Littler beat Gerwyn Price in Dublin on Thursday night Luke Littler, the youngest darts world champion in history, has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to trademark his face. Littler has won two World Championship titles in a row and has had his image used legally on darts merchandise, as well as by multiple brands such as KP Nuts. PA Media Internationally successful singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has seen her image misused by gen-AI Louise Popple, a copyright ​expert at law firm Taylor Wessing, told the BBC part of the reason why celebrities went down the route of trademarking their appearance in the UK was the "lack of any image rights law". She added while it was "unlikely" Littler would be able to stop anything other than a very similar image of his own face even with the trademark, the move signaled he was taking his rights "seriously", which could put off "opportunistic merchandising". "Owning a registration can also help with licensing deals as it gives the celebrity 'something' to licence," she said. 'Smart branding decision' Joe Doyle-Ward, Senior Associate and Trade Mark Attorney at Abion, one of the UK and Europe's leading intellectual property firms, told the BBC the move was a "smart branding decision" and one which firms were seeing happen more and more often with celebrities. "The legal framework around AI and copyright is still evolving, but trademarks remain one of the most effective tools to control commercial use in the meantime," he said. "It's not about stopping everyday use, but about ensuring that any commercial exploitation is authorised," he added.

## Article Content
Luke Littler applies to trademark his face to combat AI fakes
58 minutes ago
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Laura Cress
BBC Technology
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PA Media
Teenager Littler beat Gerwyn Price in Dublin on Thursday night
Luke Littler, the youngest darts world champion in history, has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to trademark his face.
The move is intended to prevent his face being reproduced, including by generative AI, without permission.
Littler has won two World Championship titles in a row and has had his image used legally on darts merchandise, as well as by multiple brands such as KP Nuts.
The 19-year-old joins celebrities such as actor
Matthew McConaughey
who have filed to protect their likeness from AI misuse in recent months. In October 2025, Chelsea footballer Cole Palmer not only trademarked his autograph and facial image but also
the term "Cold Palmer"
.
PA Media
Littler's popularity saw him appear on stage at this year's Brit Awards in Manchester
Littler has already trademarked his nickname "the Nuke" in the United States.
Registering a trademark lets people or businesses legally protect their ideas or brand from being used without permission.
It also allows them to put a registered trademark symbol on their products to show ownership and warn others not to copy or use it.
Celebrities in Hollywood and the music industry, such as
Scarlett Johansson
and
Taylor Swift
, have been affected by a surge of fake videos, audio, and images online made using AI tools.
PA Media
Internationally successful singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has seen her image misused by gen-AI
Louise Popple, a copyright ​expert at law firm Taylor Wessing, told the BBC part of the reason why celebrities went down the route of trademarking their appearance in the UK was the "lack of any image rights law".
She added while it was "unlikely" Littler would be able to stop anything other than a very similar image of his own face even with the trademark, the move signaled he was taking his rights "seriously", which could put off "opportunistic merchandising".
"Owning a registration can also help with licensing deals as it gives the celebrity 'something' to licence," she said.
'Smart branding decision'
Joe Doyle-Ward, Senior Associate and Trade Mark Attorney at Abion, one of the UK and Europe's leading intellectual property firms, told the BBC the move was a "smart branding decision" and one which firms were seeing happen more and more often with celebrities.
"The legal framework around AI and copyright is still evolving, but trademarks remain one of the most effective tools to control commercial use in the meantime," he said.
"It's not about stopping everyday use, but about ensuring that any commercial exploitation is authorised," he added.
The application is currently under examination at the Intellectual Property Office.
Little rose to prominence in 2024, aged 16,
winning the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year
.
In January 2025 Littler became the
youngest ever darts world champion
after beating three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen aged just 17.
He has since gone on to repeat the feat again in 2026, by
beating Dutch darts player
Gian van Veen 7-1 in the final.
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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- She added while it was "unlikely" Littler would be able to stop anything other than a very similar image of his own face even with the trademark, the move signaled he was taking his rights "seriously", which could put off "opportunistic merchandising". "Owning a registration can also help with licensing deals as it gives the celebrity 'something' to licence," she said. 'Smart branding decision' Joe Doyle-Ward, Senior Associate and Trade Mark Attorney at Abion, one of the UK and Europe's leading intellectual property firms, told the BBC the move was a "smart branding decision" and one which firms were seeing happen more and more often with celebrities. "The legal framework around AI and copyright is still evolving, but trademarks remain one of the most effective tools to control commercial use in the meantime," he said. "It's not about stopping everyday use, but about ensuring that any commercial exploitation is authorised," he added.

### Areas for Consideration
N/A

### Implications
- She added while it was "unlikely" Littler would be able to stop anything other than a very similar image of his own face even with the trademark, the move signaled he was taking his rights "seriously", which could put off "opportunistic merchandising". "Owning a registration can also help with licensing deals as it gives the celebrity 'something' to licence," she said. 'Smart branding decision' Joe Doyle-Ward, Senior Associate and Trade Mark Attorney at Abion, one of the UK and Europe's leading intellectual property firms, told the BBC the move was a "smart branding decision" and one which firms were seeing happen more and more often with celebrities. "The legal framework around AI and copyright is still evolving, but trademarks remain one of the most effective tools to control commercial use in the meantime," he said. "It's not about stopping everyday use, but about ensuring that any commercial exploitation is authorised," he added.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers littler, trademark, world topics. Notable strengths include discussion of littler. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 581.