AI tool that copied actor’s ‘lustrous’ voice violated his rights, Tokyo court rules

Kenjiro Tsuda wins case against TikTok account in landmark Japanese verdict to protect publicity rights A court in Japan has ruled that the human voice has legal protection after a landmark case involving a well-known actor and a TikTok account that he claimed had cloned his “lustrous” baritone voice in its AI-generated videos. Tokyo district court said on Wednesday that voices should enjoy the same protection as publicity rights, at the end of a closely watched legal action brought against TikTok by Kenjiro Tsuda – best known for voicing the character Kento Nanami in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen.

But the court dismissed Tsuda’s request that the operator of TikTok remove the videos, noting that the user had deleted them soon after the suit was filed last November. “The unauthorised use of a performer’s voice … can be considered an infringement on publicity rights,” said the presiding judge, Aya Takahashi. The lawsuit is believed…