Luke Littler moves to trademark his face to combat AI fakes and protect commercial interests

Luke Littler to trademark his face to combat gen-AI deepfakes

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". 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. 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. 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. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.

Luke Littler applies to trademark his face in bid to combat AI fakes

Luke Littler has made an application with the Intellectual Property Office to trademark his face. It is understood the application will prevent fake products powered by AI using his picture without permission and breaking copyright laws. The teenager, who has won back-to-back World Darts Championship titles, is highly marketable and his face appears on a wide variety of branded products, from his own dart board to video games and bags of nuts. Littler has already trademarked his "the Nuke" nickname in the US. The 19-year-old won the night seven of the Premier League in Dublin on Thursday and admitted he is "still learning not to react to the fans" after silencing some boos with an astonishing comeback in the final. Littler, who hit out at hecklers following a win over Rob Cross at the PDC world championship in December, came from 5-0 down in the final to beat the Welshman Gerwyn Price 6-5. After winning his first leg to avoid a whitewash, Littler celebrated sarcastically and then when trailing 5-1 waved goodbye, only for Price to miss three match darts before the world champion produced a remarkable turnaround. "I've definitely learnt a lot, especially with the fans," the teenager told a press conference. "In the first game against [Stephen] Bunting I didn't give anything to the fans, I didn't give any reaction and got the job done. "It was the same in the final when I was 5-0 down, everyone doubted me, I definitely doubted myself but I had a little laugh and a joke. I was just having a bit of fun because I knew I was beaten. "I'm still learning not to react to the fans. I didn't do much then, only for the first leg, and then I can build on it. It is what it is, people want to see new winners but I've won again."

Luke Littler applies to trademark his face in bid to combat AI fakes | BreakingNews

Luke Littler has made an application with the Intellectual Property Office to trademark his face. The application will prevent fake products powered by AI using his picture without permission and breaking copyright laws, the Press Association understands. The teenager, who has won back-to-back World Championship titles, is highly marketable and his face appears on a wide variety of branded products - from his own dart board to computer games and bags of nuts. Littler has already trademarked his "the Nuke" nickname in the United States. The 19-year-old's star continues to rise as he won the night seven of the Premier League in Dublin on Thursday. Littler admitted he is "still learning not to react to the fans" after silencing the boo-boys with an astonishing comeback in the final. While the biggest jeers of the night were reserved for Northern Ireland's Josh Rock, whose every throw was booed as his miserable Premier League form continued, Littler also drew the ire of the crowd. But Littler, who hit out at hecklers following a win over Rob Cross at the PDC World Championship in December, had the last laugh after coming from 5-0 down in the final to beat Welshman Gerwyn Price 6-5. After avoiding a whitewash, Littler celebrated sarcastically and then when trailing 5-1 waved goodbye only for Price to miss three match darts before the teenager produced a remarkable turnaround. "I've definitely learnt a lot, especially with the fans," the 19-year-old told a press conference. "In the first game against (Stephen) Bunting I didn't give anything to the fans, I didn't give any reaction and got the job done. "It was the same in the final when I was 5-0 down, everyone doubted me, I definitely doubted myself but I had a little laugh and a joke. I was just having a bit of fun because I knew I was beaten. "I'm still learning not to react to the fans. I didn't do much then, only for the first leg, and then I can build on it. It is what it is, people want to see new winners but I've won again." Price also missed doubles when leading 5-3 and 5-4 and was edged out in a last-leg decider by Littler, who came from 5-3 down to defeat Dutchman Michael Van Gerwen in thrilling fashion in the semi-final. But asked what was going through his mind when trailing 5-0 to Price, Littler said: "I'm out the game, I'm gone. Hit the first leg, give it a bit to the fans, I think they wanted a 6-0 and Gez definitely would have wanted a 6-0. "Then Gez set up a tops, I hit a 180 and waved the fans 'goodbye' because in my head I'm done - when Gezzy is sat on tops, he doesn't usually miss. From then, I just lost track and don't remember much." Rock's 6-0 defeat to Price at the start of the night means the Premier League debutant is without a win after seven nights although he hit a nine-darter against Gian van Veen in Belfast three weeks ago. "It's not going to plan with Josh but he definitely deserves to be here," Littler added. "Hopefully Josh can get a grip off the format and the Premier League very soon."