AI tool that copied actor’s ‘lustrous’ voice violated his rights, says Tokyo court
A Tokyo district court ruled that unauthorized AI-generated voice cloning infringes on a performer's publicity rights. The case involved actor Kenjiro Tsuda, who sued a TikTok account for using an AI-cloned version of his voice.
Why it matters
This landmark ruling establishes a legal precedent for protecting human vocal identity against AI mimicry, a growing concern for performers worldwide.
Tsuda Kenjiro’s legal team argued that the content posted by the anonymous TikTok account was ‘sordid’. Photograph: Dick Thomas Johnson Tsuda Kenjiro’s legal team argued that the content posted by the anonymous TikTok account was ‘sordid’. Photograph: Dick Thomas Johnson AI (artificial intelligence) AI tool that copied actor’s ‘lustrous’ voice violated his rights, says Tokyo court Kenjiro Tsuda wins case against TikTok account in landmark verdict to protect publicity rights
Prefer the Guardian on Google A court in Japan has ruled that the human voice has legal protection after a landmark case involving a well known actor and a TikTok account whose AI -generated videos, he claimed, had cloned his “lustrous” baritone voice.
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