"Voice" is recognized as subject to publicity rights protection for the first time in voice imitation lawsuit using generative AI Tokyo District Court

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. The request for deletion was dismissed.

Protection of voice rights ``A tailwind for voice actors'' after ruling on imitation of generative AI - industry group

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. It is hoped that the judicial decision will help prevent similar types of damage.

In the ruling, Chief Judge Takahashi 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. On the other hand, the lawsuit was dismissed, stating that the video had already been deleted, without making an individual determination as to whether Tsuda's rights had been violated.

According to the ruling, from July 2024 to September 2025, 188 videos with narration dealing with urban legends were posted from a specific account. The number of followers has reached approximately 210,000, and comments such as ``Sounds like Tsudaken'' and ``His voice is similar'' were received.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that the voice quality of Tsuda, known for his role as a popular character in the anime ``Jujutsu Kaisen,'' was intentionally created using generative AI. The lawsuit alleges violation of publicity rights. On the other hand, the operating company countered by saying, ``The poster had the generative AI learn the voices of his friends.'' It also requested that the claim be dismissed, stating that the video data had already been deleted from the account.