TOKYO: A Tokyo court ruled on Wednesday (Sep 30) that the human voice is legally protected in Japan after a high-profile anime voice actor took TikTok to court over videos he says feature an artificial intelligence clone of his "lustrous" baritone.
The decision marks a partial victory for Kenjiro Tsuda, known for his starring roles in mega-franchises including "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Yu-Gi-Oh!", although the court dismissed his request for removal of the videos.
"The unauthorised use of a performer's voice ... can be considered an infringement on publicity rights," said presiding judge Aya Takahashi.
AI imitation is a growing concern among performers worldwide, and the threat has roiled Japan's storied animation industry, whose voice actors are sometimes worshipped as much as their characters by fans.
Guess WordCrack the word, one row at a timeBuzzwordCreate words using the given lettersMini SudokuTiny puzzle, mighty brain teaserMini CrosswordSmall grid, big challengeWord SearchSpot as many words as you can Show More Show LessThe lawsuit is believed to be the country's first seeking to defend an individual's vocal identity against AI-generated copies.
It centred around a slew of TikTok videos narrated by a distinctively "deep" and "lustrous" voice that Tsuda, 55, said can only be his.
The platform, however, argued it is a "generic male voice" whose perceived similarity to Tsuda's is subjective at best, according to court records accessed by AFP.
Wednesday's verdict is seen as Japan's first declaring that the human voice is protected under publicity rights if "the purpose of using that voice is exclusively to take advantage of its commercial appeal", judge Takahashi said, describing a voice "as symbolic of one's personality as portraits are".
Publicity rights refer to the ability to control and profit from the use of aspects of one's identity.