Jeremy Clarkson is moving to trademark his own face in an effort to stop deepfake scammers from using his image in fraudulent adverts.
Clarkson, 65, said he has already been targeted by criminals deploying artificial intelligence to mimic his appearance and voice in promotions encouraging people to invest in bogus schemes.
The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? host now joins a select group of public figures, including KFC’s Colonel Sanders, who have taken similar steps to protect their likeness.
“It’s for perfectly good reasons — its not just my ego running amok,” he told The Sun.
“It’s an AI thing . . . because there’s so much activity around bitcoin or mortgage loans where my face, name, image, voice and so on has been used to promote things that I’m not promoting.”
Last year, ads circulated on X featuring Clarkson and his former Grand Tour co-hosts James May and Richard Hammond appearing to endorse cryptocurrency.
At the time, Clarkson distanced himself completely, writing: “I don’t even know what cryptocurrency is. But it sounds ghastly.”
Reflecting on his decision to trademark his face, he said: “I’m protecting people from ‘me’, but it’s not me, promoting something that I’m not. God it’s absurd.”
There is currently no indication that May or Hammond plan to pursue similar protections.
Other high-profile names who have secured image rights under European trademark law include F1 world champion Max Verstappen as well as Dutch models Yasmin Wijnaldum and Rozanne Verduin.
Elsewhere, it was revealed earlier this week that Clarkson banned a customer from bringing their own birthday cake to his pub, The Farmer’s Dog.
The Prime Video star is passionate about his “100% British” campaign for the Cotswolds establishment, meaning everything he sells uses ingredients within a 16-mile radius of the venue.
The Grand Tour star previously admitted his rules are costly and claims he is losing £10 for every customer who eats at his restaurant.
Clarkson has extended the local produce rule to punters bringing in their own birthday cakes - which must be obtained following the same rigid rules.
A punter was warned about the guidelines when they emailed to ask if they could bring a celebratory cake for their big day, reported The Sun.
Clarkson talked about the struggle of sticking by his rules in his Times column, admitting, for example, that black pepper costs ten times more to buy in the UK than abroad.
“Now, a business-minded person would look at these costs and realise that with British-only rules in place, a hotdog was going be priced at about £45,” he penned.
“But I’m not a business-minded person. So I just filled my heart with hope, asked an AI program to work out what the average price of lunch in a Cotswolds pub is and just charged that.
“It’s possible that for every customer who comes through the door I’d lose about £10.”
Clarkson previously faced backlash for not stocking ketchup at his pub as he couldn’t find a fully UK-sourced one.
However, over the summer, it was added to the menu after he reportedly found one from the UK firm Condimaniac.
The condiment - at £7.95 a bottle - uses Isle of Wight tomato passata, apple cider vinegar from Hampshire, Essex salt and British sugar and onions.
Clarkson has been keeping fans updated with the highs and lows of the pub business, from being swindled out of £28,000 by hackers to dealing with food intolerance fraud.
Last month, he exposed the “baffling” toilet habits of customers.
