Japan sets "voice rights" guideline to target unauthorized AI use
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The voices of Japanese celebrities and voice actors should be protected under expanded publicity rights as they are symbols of their
Japan has introduced government guidelines aimed at safeguarding the voice rights of celebrities and voice actors, as the country grapples with the spread of fake videos created through artificial intelligence (AI). These guidelines, unveiled by the Justice Ministry, seek to protect the personal character of Japanese celebrities and voice actors, who are essentially symbols of their identity.
The guidelines stipulate that uploading fake videos featuring similar voices to well-known actors and voice actors on social media, and profiting from them, constitutes a rights violation.
Japan lacks specific legislation to shield voice rights, making these guidelines a first step in addressing the issue. The guidelines apply to both corporate and individual users of AI, detailing hypothetical scenarios that would be considered infringements on publicity rights. If a music track were generated using a voice actor or artist's voice and uploaded publicly, it would violate these rights, potentially leading to compensation claims or removal from the platform.
Similarly, indecent videos using voices resembling those of a voice actor could be deemed a violation of the right of public figures' voices and likenesses to be used arbitrarily.
The guidelines note that the right to voice and likeness rights ceases upon an actor's death but could, in theory, be employed for the reverence of the deceased, allowing surviving family members to seek compensation. One of the challenges in identifying voice rights lies in the difficulty of determining voice identity due to its distinctiveness.
The guidelines clarify that various factors should be considered, not solely the similarity of voices, but also any information that can be linked to the real figure whose voice may have been utilized. Furthermore, impressions by comedians stating the name of the figure they are impersonating will not be considered an infringement.
Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi expressed hope in July that these guidelines would foster the widespread adoption of AI while mitigating disputes arising from its unauthorized use.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
