OH HB185

Prohibits creating, distributing, or offering to distribute "malicious deepfake recordings" without the depicted individual's written consent, where such recordings falsely appear to show authentic speech or conduct with intent to cause harm

Expands Ohio's right of publicity law to protect against unauthorized use of "modified facsimiles" of a person's voice, image, or likeness that could confuse a reasonable person, removing the requirement that the persona have commercial value

Establishes civil remedies for deepfake violations including statutory damages of $2,500-$10,000, actual damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, and court-ordered destruction of the recordings

Creates additional statutory damages of $2,500-$15,000 when deepfakes are used for extortion, with tiered amounts based on the value extorted

Exempts parodies, fictionalized works, and content with conspicuous disclaimers identifying the material as altered and providing creator contact information, but provides no exemption for pornographic deepfakes or those depicting minors under 17