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

The Tokyo district court ruled on Wednesday that the human voice enjoys the same legal protection as publicity rights, in a case brought by actor Kenjiro Tsuda against a TikTok account that used an AI tool to clone his voice. Tsuda, best known for voicing Kento Nanami in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, claimed the AI-generated videos reproduced his "lustrous" baritone voice. The verdict is described as a landmark decision for publicity rights in Japan.

AI tool that copied actor’s ‘lustrous’ voice violated his rights, says Tokyo court By Justin McCurry in TokyoSource: The Guardian Technology https://www.theguardian.com/us/technology Kenjiro Tsuda wins case against TikTok account in landmark verdict to protect publicity rights A court in Japan https://www.theguardian.com/world/japan has ruled that the human voice has legal protection after a landmark case involving a well known actor and a TikTok account whose AI https://www.theguardian.com/technology/artificialintelligenceai -generated videos, he claimed, had cloned his “lustrous” baritone voice. Tokyo district court said on Wednesday that voices 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. Continue reading... https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/30/ai-tool-copied-actor-kenjiro-tsuda-tokyo-court Get AI news in your inbox Daily digest of what matters in AI.