Khaby Lame sells his image rights to create AI-powered digital twins - Britney Spears sells the rights to her music catalogue

Khaby Lame sells his image rights to create AI-powered digital twins. 

The 25-year-old Italian-Senegalese content creator, who is one of the most recognisable faces on TikTok, has taken a significant step in managing his personal brand. Having risen to fame in 2020 with silent videos that simplified life hacks through expressive gestures, he now has over 160 million followers on TikTok. 

In January 2026, he sold Step Distinctive Limited, the company that manages his brand and commercial rights, to Rich Sparkle Holdings, a Hong Kong–based holding company. Valued at €896 million ($975 million), the transaction was structured through the issuance of 75 million ordinary shares, making Lame the majority shareholder of the acquiring company. 

The most distinctive aspect of the deal is the explicit authorisation to use Khaby Lame's face and voice IDs, as well as his behavioural patterns, to develop AI-based 'digital twins'. Furthermore, Rich Sparkle has obtained the exclusive global rights to the 'Khaby Lame' brand for 36 months. This enables the company to produce audiovisual content associated with Khaby Lame's identity without him having to be physically present for each recording. 

In practical terms, a digital twin is a virtual model that realistically replicates a person’s features, including their appearance, voice and gestures. This technology can be used to generate advertising content, live broadcasts and campaigns in multiple languages and time zones, thereby reducing the time and availability constraints that typically affect creators. All in all, the transaction is notable for the scope of the digital identity rights involved, and it paves the way for a more structured use of digital twins in personal brand monetisation. 

Britney Spears sells the rights to her music catalogue 

Britney Spears has sold the rights to her music catalogue to the independent publisher Primary Wave. According to reports, the deal was worth close to €170 million ($200 million), although the exact price and scope of the agreement have not been officially disclosed. 

The singer is one of the most successful pop artists of her generation. Her catalogue includes some of the biggest commercial hits since her late-1990s debut, including “Baby One More Time”, “Oops! I Did It Again”, as well as Toxic and Gimme More, alongside tracks such as "You Drive Me Crazy " ," Circus " and "I'm a Slave 4 U". However, she has released less music in recent years, her last release was a duet with Elton John in 2022, and in January 2024 she stated that she did not intend to return to the music industry. 

Meanwhile, Primary Wave is a music publishing company that specialises in acquiring catalogues and managing rights and licences for major repertoires. In recent years, it has acquired assets associated with the repertoires of artists such as Prince, Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G., Bruce Springsteen and Justin Bieber. 

It is worth noting that the sale follows an intense period for Spears, both personally and professionally. In 2021, the conservatorship that had governed her life and finances for thirteen years came to an end, and in 2023 she published her memoir, The Woman in Me, detailing her experience under that arrangement. As part of the agreement, the management of her catalogue will now be handed over to a third party, while Spears will maintain a public profile focused on projects outside the recording studio and live performances.