Tokyo court grants legal protection to human voices in AI clone case

A Tokyo court has granted legal protection to the human voice in a landmark case, marking the first acknowledgment of such a right in Japan. The ruling was made in favor of popular anime voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda, who demanded that TikTok close an account for unauthorized use of an artificial intelligence clone of his trademark baritone voice.

Tsuda, known for his deep voice in characters like Kento Nanami in "Jujutsu Kaisen," argued that the TikTok operator "Nanami" profited from his voice in over 180 videos about urban legends and paranormal phenomena. Judge Aya Takahashi acknowledged the human voice as a symbol of individual personality, equivalent to one's portrait, and ruled that the unauthorized use with the intent to capitalize on Tsuda's commercial appeal constituted an infringement of publicity rights.

The defendant contended that the videos utilized an AI-generated voice, not Tsuda's own, and that it did not harm his reputation as a voice actor. Although Tsuda sought the deletion of all the videos, the ruling dismissed his demand as the account had already been closed. This decision comes amid growing concerns among Japanese voice actors regarding the cloning of their distinctive voices through AI technology.