Tokyo court ruled voice is a publicity right in Kenjiro Tsuda's AI voice case but refused TikTok takedown
The Tokyo District Court ruled that voices are protected as a publicity right, similar to portrait rights, in what was described as the first such ruling in Japan. The plaintiff, voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda, alleged that an anonymous poster uploaded 188 TikTok videos narrated by an AI voice similar to his own, allegedly earning between 500,000 and 750,000 yen per month. The court dismissed his demand that TikTok's operator take the videos down. TikTok's operator said the narration used a "standard male voice", the poster said the AI was trained on a friend's voice, and they argued the account had already been deleted.
What the AI did
An anonymous poster allegedly used an AI voice tool to narrate 188 TikTok videos in a voice similar to that of voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda. The poster said the AI was trained on a friend's voice, and TikTok's operator said the narration used a "standard male voice". It has not been reported which AI tool was used.
First reported September 30, 2026 · Added to the register September 30, 2026 · 2 sources
- Deployer
- Anonymous TikTok poster
- Affected
- Kenjiro Tsuda, voice actor, Kenjiro Tsuda
- Country
- Japan
- When it happened
- July 2024 to September 2025
- First reported
- September 30, 2026
What this means for you
Could this affect you?
Voice actors, narrators and others whose voices AI tools can imitate are exposed, as are platforms and creators who publish and earn money from AI-narrated content that sounds like real people, now that a Japanese court has ruled voices are protected as a publicity right.
What to check
- Check that AI-generated voices in commercial or social media content do not closely imitate identifiable real people.
- Get consent or a licence where an AI voice resembles a known performer.
- Keep records of how your voice models were trained.
Areas of your AI programme this touches
Timeline
- July 2024Started
- September 2025Ended
- September 30, 2026First reported
- October 1, 2026TikTok said it would respect the court's judgement while considering what steps to take. The complaint argued the anonymous account had more than 200,000 subscribers and upwards of 500,000 yen in monthly revenue.[2]
Every fact and its source (14)
- Poster's alleged monthly earnings500,000 to 750,000 yen ($3,200 to $4,800) per month“allegedly earning between 500,000 and 750,000 yen ($3,200 to $4,800) per month”[1]
- TikTok operator's defenceNarration used a "standard male voice"“The operator of TikTok claimed the narration employed a "standard male voice"”[1]
- Poster's defenceAI trained using a friend's voice“the poster said the AI was trained using a friend's voice”[1]
- Account statusAccount deleted by June 29“the account had been deleted by June 29”[1]
- Court rulingVoices protected as a publicity right; first such ruling in Japan“voices are protected as a publicity right, similar to portrait rights, in the first such ruling in the country”[1]
- Outcome on takedown demandTokyo District Court dismissed demand for TikTok operator to take down videos“The Tokyo District Court, however, dismissed the demand by the plaintiff”[1]
- Number of videos uploaded188“uploaded 188 videos about urban myths, the occult and trivia between July 2024 and September 2025”[1]
- Presiding judgeAya Takahashi“said presiding judge Aya Takahashi”[2]
- Takedown requestDismissed by the court“the court dismissed his request for removal of the videos”[2]
- Reason no takedown was orderedAnonymous user had already removed the videos“the anonymous user behind them had taken them down several months after the lawsuit began”[2]
- Account subscribers (claimed)More than 200,000“boasted more than 200,000 subscribers”[2]
- Alleged monthly revenue of accountUpwards of 500,000 yen ($3,200)“upwards of 500,000 yen ($3,200) in monthly revenue”[2]
- TikTok responseWill respect the judgement while considering next steps“respect the court's judgement while considering what steps to take after scrutinizing details”[2]
- Industry responseVoice actors launched 'No More' campaign against AI mimicry“have launched a campaign, called "No More", against using generative AI to mimic performers without permission”[2]
Sources
- Japan court rules voice is protected as publicity right in AI cloning caseasia.nikkei.com · September 30, 2026
- Japan court rules human voice is protected in TikTok AI casejapantoday.com · October 1, 2026
How this record is classified. Severity N: a legal action or test finding, not a harm. Evidence: Confirmed, meaning a company, official or court statement.
The facts in At a glance and in Every fact and its source are quoted from the sources listed. The summary, What the AI did and What this means for you are written from those sources and reviewed by an editor before publication. Records reflect what has been disclosed, not everything that has happened.
