The court says the sound of your voice is also your property.
In its first ruling on September 30, the Tokyo District Court held that a person’s voice, like their face, is protected by the “right of publicity”—unauthorized AI imitation is infringement.
This case is between the voice actor Kenshiro Tsuda of Jujutsu Kaisen and TikTok: someone used AI to mimic his voice and posted 188 videos. Tsuda’s side claims the other party earns tens of thousands of yen each month based on views. What’s eerie is that while the court confirmed that “voice is also protected by the right of publicity,” it still rejected his request for removal—because the videos had already been taken down.
The argument was won, but the item wasn’t recovered. Do you think this kind of judgment—“you won the lawsuit but you won on paper” —is a watershed moment for AI copyright, or a victory on paper only?
After voice identity is confirmed, who’s next—your face, your handwriting? Do you think it should be regulated, or is it basically impossible to control?
In its first ruling on September 30, the Tokyo District Court held that a person’s voice, like their face, is protected by the “right of publicity”—unauthorized AI imitation is infringement.
This case is between the voice actor Kenshiro Tsuda of Jujutsu Kaisen and TikTok: someone used AI to mimic his voice and posted 188 videos. Tsuda’s side claims the other party earns tens of thousands of yen each month based on views. What’s eerie is that while the court confirmed that “voice is also protected by the right of publicity,” it still rejected his request for removal—because the videos had already been taken down.
The argument was won, but the item wasn’t recovered. Do you think this kind of judgment—“you won the lawsuit but you won on paper” —is a watershed moment for AI copyright, or a victory on paper only?
After voice identity is confirmed, who’s next—your face, your handwriting? Do you think it should be regulated, or is it basically impossible to control?