A Tokyo court ruled that voices are protected by publicity rights, similar to portrait rights, in a landmark decision. However, it dismissed a voice actor's demand to remove AI-generated videos using a voice similar to his own from TikTok.
The ruling establishes that voices can be protected under publicity rights in Japan, setting a precedent for AI-generated content that mimics real individuals. However, the dismissal of the demand to remove the videos highlights the ongoing legal challenges in defining and enforcing these rights in the context of rapidly advancing AI technology.
A Tokyo court ruled Wednesday that voices are protected as a publicity right, similar to portrait rights, in the first such ruling in Japan. However, the Tokyo District Court dismissed a demand by plaintiff Kenjiro Tsuda, a voice actor known for voicing Kento Nanami in "Jujutsu Kaisen," for the operator of TikTok to remove videos narrated using artificial intelligence with a voice he claimed was similar to his own.
Japan currently lacks clear laws on voice rights, but the Justice Ministry has recently released guidelines suggesting that uploading social media videos with voices resembling real people for revenue may constitute a rights violation. Tsuda's lawsuit stated that an anonymous user uploaded 188 videos between July 2024 and September 2025, featuring narration similar to his voice, which he argued misled viewers and increased commercial value. The poster allegedly earned between 500,000 and 750,000 yen ($3,200 to $4,800) per month from these videos.
The operator of TikTok contended that the narration used a "standard male voice" and would not be mistaken for Tsuda. The poster also claimed the AI was trained using a friend's voice and that the account had been deleted by June 29, rendering the lawsuit moot.
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