Tokyo court defends human voice, anime star wins landmark fight against TikTok’s AI clones

Tokyo's legal system has protected the human voice, granting a landmark victory to an anime voice actor who sued TikTok over videos featuring an AI clone of his distinctive baritone. Kenjiro Tsuda, renowned for his roles in Jujutsu Kaisen and Yu-Gi-Oh!, brought the case against the social media platform, claiming unauthorized use of his voice infringed upon his publicity rights. However, the court denied his request to remove the videos in question.

Judge Aya Takahashi stated that the unauthorised use of a performer's voice constitutes an infringement on publicity rights. This ruling is believed to be Japan's first legal defense against AI-generated copies of an individual's vocal identity. The lawsuit highlights growing concerns about AI imitation among performers worldwide, particularly in Japan's highly respected animation industry, where voice actors are often revered as much as their animated characters by fans.