Luke Littler has made an application to trademark his face to combat AI fakes.
The darts world No 1 has lodged an application with the Intellectual Property Office to prevent AI-powered products using his picture without permission and breaking copyright laws.
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.
Iain Connor, intellectual property partner at Michelmores, said: “Luke Littler’s application to register his face as a trade mark is likely to expose the weakness in our intellectual property laws to protect against deepfakes.
“Previous attempts to create ‘personality’ rights through trade marks show how difficult it can be. While F1 racer Damon Hill’s ‘eyes’ trade mark as seen through the racing driver’s helmet was successful, the estate of the late Princess Diana was unsuccessful in attempts to protect an image of her face as a trade mark.
“Even if Luke Littler’s application is successful, given that trade mark protection is limited to particular classes of goods and services, it is not a silver bullet to stop deepfakes.
“The government has recognised the gap in the law in its recent report on copyright and AI by proposing whether a new personality right may be appropriate in order to protect individuals from unscrupulous AI use to create digital replicas.”
Littler earned a historic payday earlier this year after agreeing a record £20m deal with his dart supplier, Target Darts.
The deal – with potential earnings and bonuses, as well as a percentage of sales of products and equipment – is understood to be worth £20m over 10 years and is the most lucrative the sport has seen.
Littler triumphs in Dublin after thrilling comeback
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Luke Littler waved out to the crowd as whistles ring out during his post‑match interview with Wayne Mardle and Emma Paton following his comeback victory over Gerwyn Price in Dublin
The 19-year-old’s star continues to rise as he won Night Seven of the Premier League in Dublin on Thursday to move second in the table.
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.
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Highlights of the final between Littler and Gerwyn Price
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.”
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Littler responded to the Dublin crowds sarcastic cheers after ‘The Nuke’ found himself 5-0 down against Price
Premier League Darts schedule – Berlin next for Littler
Night Eight of the BetMGM Premier League will take place in Berlin on Thursday March 26, as Littler begins his bid for a third nightly victory of 2026 against Bunting at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
League leader Clayton will take on Rock in the evening’s opener, Humphries and Van Gerwen also go head-to-head, while Price takes on Van Veen for a place in the semi-finals.
Quarter-Final fixtures for 14 of the 16 league nights are in draw bracket order, with fixtures for Night Eight and Night 16 determined by league standings heading into each night.
Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts? Watch the action every single Thursday until May on Sky Sports. Stream darts and more top sport with NOW.
