Tokyo District Court dismisses popular voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda's lawsuit demanding deletion of AI voice imitation video

On the 30th, the Tokyo District Court ruled in a lawsuit filed by popular voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda against the company operating the short video posting app TikTok, claiming that a video imitating his own voice using artificial intelligence (AI) without permission had been published. Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi made the first ruling that people's voices are included in the protection of the ``right of publicity,'' which allows celebrities to monopolize the commercial value derived from their own names and likenesses.

Unauthorized imitation of “voices” using generative AI, popular voice actor sues for infringement of rights – Tokyo District Court rules on 30th

Tsuda's request was rejected, stating that the video had already been deleted.

Amidst the growing problem of unauthorized imitation of the voices of voice actors and singers, this is the first lawsuit regarding infringement of voice rights by generative AI. The ruling stated, ``A person's voice, like a portrait, is a symbol of an individual's personality,'' and stated that unauthorized use of a person's voice could be a violation of rights.

According to the complaint, from July 2024 to September 2025, a specific account posted 188 videos with narration imitating the voice of Tsuda, who is known for his role as a popular character in the anime "Jujutsu Kaisen." The number of followers has reached approximately 210,000 people, and the average number of video views has been approximately 1.47 million times, with comments such as ``Sounds like Tsudaken'' and ``His voice is similar.''

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that Tsuda's characteristic "low, astringent voice" was intentionally created by the generative AI. The lawsuit alleges that this violates publicity rights and the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, which prohibits unauthorized use of product labeling.

On the other hand, the operating company countered by saying, ``The poster had the generative AI learn the voices of his friends.'' The lawsuit also requested that the claim be dismissed, stating that the video data had already been deleted from the account and that there was "no benefit in suing."

Regarding the right to voice, in August, the Ministry of Justice's Expert Review Committee released guidelines stating that voices, like portraits, are subject to the protection of publicity rights.