Valaritas vs Vermillio: licensing-first vs protection-first

By D.C. Cassidy, Founder & CEO · 21 October 2026 · Comparisons

Vermillio's TraceID finds unauthorised AI uses of a person's likeness. Valaritas is built to create licensed ones for sport. Here is how they compare and when you need each.

Vermillio and Valaritas both work on AI and personal likeness, but they start from opposite ends of the problem.

What Vermillio does

Vermillio is a Chicago-based company whose TraceID product scans the internet for unauthorised uses of a person's name, image and likeness, including deepfakes and fake accounts, and helps get them removed. It also tracks licensed uses. Vermillio has partnered with Sony Music and WME, raised a Series A led by Sony Music and DNS Capital, and was named to TIME's 2025 list of the most influential companies.

What Valaritas does

Valaritas Sports is a licensing layer built specifically for sport. Brands, apps, clubs and federations send briefs to use an athlete's face and voice in AI. The athlete approves every use, generation runs only on approved inputs, every output is labelled, and the athlete is paid first.

Side by side

• Starting point: Vermillio starts with detection and takedown. Valaritas starts with consent and the commercial licence.
• Focus: Vermillio covers entertainment and music talent broadly. Valaritas is built for athletes, clubs, agencies and federations, including group licensing.
• Who pays: protection is usually paid for by the talent or their representatives. Licensing is paid for by the brand or app that wants to use the likeness.

Which do you need?

If fakes of you are already circulating, you need protection. If brands want to work with you in AI, you need licensing. Many athletes will use both: one to stop the fakes, one to sell the real thing.