{"slug": "japan-panel-backs-civil-liability-for-unauthorized-ai-use-of-famous-voices", "title": "Japan panel backs civil liability for unauthorized AI use of famous voices", "summary": "An expert committee of Japan's Justice Ministry on Monday broadly approved a draft report backing civil liability for unauthorized use of famous individuals' voices by generative AI, stating that voices would be legally protected under the right of publicity. The report allows individuals to seek compensation or removal of online posts if infringement is confirmed, as voice actors seek clarification since no Japanese court has ruled on these rights. The ministry will release a final report as early as August.", "body_md": "# Japan panel backs civil liability for unauthorized AI use of famous voices\n\nOn Monday, an expert committee of Japan's Justice Ministry broadly approved a draft report on civil liability for the unauthorized use of the voices of famous individuals by generative artificial intelligence, [Qazinform News Agency](https://qazinform.com/) cites [JIJI Press](https://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2026072700932).\n\nThe report stated that voices would be legally protected under the right of publicity, which allows celebrities to control the commercial value of their names and portraits.\n\nIt also noted that individuals can seek compensation or the removal of online posts if an infringement of the right is confirmed.\n\nVoice actors and others are requesting clarification on what qualifies as illegal use of their voices, since no Japanese court has issued a ruling on these rights.\n\nThe ministry will release a final report as early as August, based on expert opinions.\n\nEarlier, [Qazinform News Agency](https://qazinform.com/) reported that a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers [had introduced](https://qazinform.com/news/us-lawmakers-propose-ai-kill-switch-legislation-240e05) legislation granting the federal government the authority to quickly shut down artificial intelligence systems deemed to pose a serious threat to public safety.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/japan-panel-backs-civil-liability-for-unauthorized-ai-use-of-famous-voices", "canonical_source": "https://qazinform.com/news/japan-panel-backs-civil-liability-for-unauthorized-ai-use-of-famous-voices-a956fa", "published_at": "2026-07-27 23:30:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-07-27 23:52:50.958674+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["generative-ai", "ai-policy", "ai-ethics"], "entities": ["Japan Justice Ministry", "Qazinform News Agency", "JIJI Press"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/japan-panel-backs-civil-liability-for-unauthorized-ai-use-of-famous-voices", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/japan-panel-backs-civil-liability-for-unauthorized-ai-use-of-famous-voices.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/japan-panel-backs-civil-liability-for-unauthorized-ai-use-of-famous-voices.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/japan-panel-backs-civil-liability-for-unauthorized-ai-use-of-famous-voices.jsonld"}}