Tokyo court issues ruling on AI voice cloning
In a lawsuit filed by Japanese actor Kenjiro Tsuda, a Tokyo court ruled that the human voice is under legal protection within the scope of publicity rights.
In Japan, a court has delivered a landmark ruling in a lawsuit filed by famous voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda against a TikTok account that cloned his voice without permission. The Tokyo District Court ruled that the human voice must be protected under publicity rights.
AI voice cloning lawsuit
In a precedent-setting trial in Japan, it was accepted that unauthorized imitation of an actor's voice using artificial intelligence tools constitutes a violation of rights.
Kenjiro Tsuda, known for voicing the character Kento Nanami in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, initiated legal proceedings stating that his voice was used without authorization on a TikTok account.
Legal assessment of the court
Tokyo District Court Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi stated that the unauthorized use of an artist's voice can be considered a violation of publicity rights.
The court emphasized that using a voice to benefit from its commercial appeal falls under this protection and that the voice is as much a symbol of personality as portraits.
Contents of the TikTok account
In 188 TikTok videos uploaded by an anonymous account between July 2024 and September of last year, a deep and bright tone mimicking Tsuda's voice was used.
It was reported that the account in question produced AI voiceovers on urban legends and conspiracy theories, and at one point reached over 200,000 subscribers.
Reaction of the industry and the platform
Japan Actors Union Executive Director Yuko Sasaki pointed out that actors' voices are the result of years of rigorous training and apprenticeship.
TikTok announced that they respect the ruling and will evaluate the steps to be taken after reviewing the details.