Zimbabwe's intellectual property law faces challenges from deepfakes and AI

These realistic fakes can make it appear as though individuals said or did things they never did, raising concerns about the commercial use of identity. While the legal implications are widely discussed internationally, Zimbabwe has had limited public discourse on deepfakes, intellectual property, and its legal framework. A key question is who controls the commercial use of one's identity when AI can reproduce it.

For many, their name, face, and voice hold significant commercial value, as seen with musicians or entrepreneurs whose identities could be replicated without consent or payment. Traditional intellectual property law, including copyright and trademark, may not fully address these issues, as a person's identity is not automatically intellectual property in the same way as a song or invention. Zimbabwe's Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act and the Cyber and Data Protection Act offer some protection against certain aspects of deepfakes, such as unauthorized performance reproduction or false data messages.

However, these laws were not specifically designed for the challenges posed by synthetic media. The rapid development of deepfake technology outpaces legal frameworks, creating gaps, especially concerning the commercial exploitation of identity. This issue is crucial for Africa's growing digital economy, where creators' personal