Tokyo court recognizes voice actor's rights in AI clone case
A judge found that using a recognizable AI imitation to trade on an actor's voice could infringe publicity rights, while rejecting a request to remove videos from a closed account.
A recognizable voice, even when generated
The Tokyo District Court recognized the publicity rights of Japanese voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda in a case involving an AI imitation used on a TikTok account, the Associated Press reported on October 1. AP says it reviewed a court document. The judge reasoned that a human voice can identify a person much as a portrait can, and that unauthorized use intended to capitalize on the commercial appeal of Tsuda’s recognizable voice could infringe those rights. Tsuda said the account attracted viewers with narration resembling his voice. The account operator argued that the sound was generated by AI rather than recorded from Tsuda and denied damaging his reputation.
The ruling’s boundaries
Tsuda sought removal of the account’s videos, but the court dismissed that request because the account had already closed, according to AP. The decision therefore should not be described as an order forcing TikTok to remove an active account. AP characterized it as Japan’s first judicial acknowledgment of a right to one’s voice, but the reviewed report concerns this particular use of a performer’s voice for its commercial draw. It does not establish that every synthetic voice, resemblance, or licensed clone is unlawful. The ruling may matter to performers and platforms handling AI narration, while the remedy and broader application will depend on later cases.