Tokyo court rules AI tool that cloned actor's voice violated his rights

A Tokyo district court has ruled that an AI tool used to replicate the voice of Japanese voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda violated his legal rights, in a landmark decision extending publicity-rights protections to a person's voice.

The case centered on a TikTok account that Tsuda claimed had used AI to clone his distinctive baritone voice in AI-generated videos without his consent. Tsuda is best known for voicing the character Kento Nanami in the popular anime series Jujutsu Kaisen, giving the case particular visibility within Japan's anime and voice-acting industry.

The court's ruling on Wednesday determined that voices should enjoy the same legal protection as publicity rights, which traditionally cover the commercial use of a person's name, image or likeness. The decision marks one of the more closely watched legal actions in Japan addressing the intersection of AI-generated content and individual rights.

The ruling could have broader implications for how Japanese courts handle similar disputes as AI voice-cloning technology becomes more widely accessible, raising questions for performers, media companies and platforms hosting AI-generated content that mimics real people's voices without authorization.

The case adds to a growing body of legal precedent globally as courts grapple with the rights of individuals, particularly performers, whose voices and likenesses can now be replicated convincingly through AI tools.