{"id":73150,"date":"2026-09-30T15:50:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-30T06:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=73150"},"modified":"2026-09-30T15:57:01","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T06:57:01","slug":"voice-actor-kenjiro-tsudas-lawsuit-over-ai-voice-cloning-dismissed-but-ruling-sets-important-precedent-for-protecting-seiyuu-voices-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/voice-actor-kenjiro-tsudas-lawsuit-over-ai-voice-cloning-dismissed-but-ruling-sets-important-precedent-for-protecting-seiyuu-voices-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"Voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda\u2019s lawsuit over AI voice cloning dismissed, but ruling sets important precedent for protecting seiyuu voices in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Veteran Japanese voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda, known for his roles in numerous hit anime like Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, has lost a lawsuit against TikTok in which he sought the removal of videos that imitated his voice using generative AI. The Tokyo District Court dismissed his claims on September 30, (as reported by The Nikkei<\/a>) on account of the videos already being deleted from the platform. However, the ruling itself has set an important precedent when it comes to how the voices of seiyuu and celebrities are legally protected in Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Filed in November 2025 and made public in May this year<\/a>, the lawsuit by Tsuda sought the immediate removal of over 180 videos posted by an unidentified personal account with more than 210,000 followers. The videos featured AI generated narration of commonplace trivia, urban legends etc. using a voice highly similar to Tsuda\u2019s, generating monthly revenue between roughly $3k and $4.7 dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tsuda\u2019s side argued that the videos were intended to mislead viewers by making them mistake the AI-generated voice for his own, claiming a violation of Japan\u2019s Unfair Competition Prevention Act as well as Tsuda\u2019s publicity rights (laws which protect the commercial value associated with a celebrity\u2019s identity).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, TikTok\u2019s side argued the narration used a \u201cgeneric male voice\u201d and that the uploader had explained on an external website that the voice used in their videos was generated using \u201cAI trained on the voice of a friend.\u201d They maintained that the videos did not violate any laws or infringe on Tsuda\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The account in question had already been deleted as of May, and the data was allegedly no longer stored on TikTok\u2019s servers. The defendant therefore argued that there was no longer a legal interest in pursuing the case and requested that the claim be dismissed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tokyo District Court dismissed Tsuda\u2019s claim on the grounds of the videos being deleted. However, the ruling itself is significant for stating that a person\u2019s voice is subject to protection under publicity rights laws, which has, according to Japanese media<\/a>, set a new precedent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There have been a number of cases in recent years involving the unauthorized use of celebrities\u2019 voices and likeness in videos and images created by generative AI. However, there are no laws in Japan that directly protect voice rights, and organizations representing voice actors and others have been fervently calling for legal reforms<\/a> as the issue worsens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Japan\u2019s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry have drafted guidelines stating that voices, like likenesses, may be subject to protection under \u201cpublicity rights\u201d and the Unfair Competition Prevention Act. However, there have been no court rulings to date recognizing infringement of voice-related rights, which makes the ruling on Tsuda\u2019s case significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related: AI voice service ordered to pay miHoYo $112K after reproducing the voices of 63 Genshin Impact characters without permission<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The lawsuit was dismissed on account of the TikTok videos already being deleted from the platform and no longer archived on its servers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":73152,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","autoblue_enabled":false,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[73,17],"class_list":["post-73150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-anime","tag-japan-related-news"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"\nVoice actor Kenjiro Tsuda\u2019s lawsuit over AI voice cloning dismissed, but ruling sets important precedent for protecting seiyuu voices in Japan - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/voice-actor-kenjiro-tsudas-lawsuit-over-ai-voice-cloning-dismissed-but-ruling-sets-important-precedent-for-protecting-seiyuu-voices-in-japan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda\u2019s lawsuit over AI voice cloning dismissed, but ruling sets important precedent for protecting seiyuu voices in Japan - 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