On September 30, 2026, a Tokyo court ruled for the first time in Japan that a person’s voice is protected by publicity rights, the same way a face or portrait is. It’s a big moment for anyone worried about AI copying their voice.
Key takeaways
- Voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda, known for Jujutsu Kaisen, sued over AI clones of his voice on TikTok.
- The court said using a performer’s voice without permission for commercial value can infringe publicity rights.
- His request to remove the videos was dismissed only because the creator had already deleted them.
- It’s the first case in Japan to protect vocal identity against AI copies.
What happened
Between July 2024 and September 2025, an anonymous TikTok account posted 188 videos about urban legends, the occult and conspiracy theories, narrated by an AI voice that sounded like Tsuda. The profile picture even looked like a character he voices. The account grew to more than 200,000 followers. Tsuda argued the videos took off because his voice was in them, and estimated the account could earn more than ¥500,000 a month.
Judge Aya Takahashi wrote that “the unauthorised use of a performer’s voice … can be considered an infringement on publicity rights,” comparing a voice to a portrait as a marker of who someone is.
Why it matters outside Japan
Voice-cloning tools are now cheap and everywhere. Courts and lawmakers around the world, including in Canada, are working out who owns a voice. This ruling gives performers, creators and everyday people a strong example to point to.
What creators should do
- Only clone your own voice, or a voice you have written permission to use.
- Label AI voices. YouTube, TikTok and Meta all ask creators to disclose realistic AI content.
- Never imitate a celebrity to get views. It can get your account removed and now carries legal risk too.
Full transparency: Media Station uses an AI clone of our founder’s own voice in some videos, with his permission, and we label it. See our Disclosure page.
Sources: The Next Web · Nippon.com (Jiji Press) · Digital Music News. Not legal advice. Prepared with AI assistance and reviewed by Media Station.