Japanese voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda, known as Kishibe in Chainsaw Man and Kento Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen, has taken legal action against TikTok after his voice was allegedly used in AI-generated content without permission. We summarize below.
First lawsuit in Japan
According to recent reports, Tsuda is accusing a previously unknown TikTok account of posting at least 188 videos featuring AI-generated impersonations of his voice since July 2024 without his consent. This is said to have generated income of 500,000 to 750,000 yen (2,700 to 4,050 euros).
Together with his lawyer, the speaker filed a lawsuit against TikTok and is demanding the removal of the relevant content. Tsuda relies on his “publicity rights,” which are intended to protect the economic value of his vote.
Tsuda’s lawyer emphasized that uncontrolled AI voice copying could cause long-term harm to the dubbing industry. The aim of the lawsuit is to create a legal basis for dealing with AI-generated voices. According to Japanese media, this is the first lawsuit of its kind in Japan.
However, TikTok denies any allegations and argues that the recordings used are just a generic male AI voice. In addition, the uploader’s external website explicitly stated that the voice was generated using an AI that was trained with the voice of a friend. There is therefore no violation of the law.
To date, three non-public hearings have been held to clarify the issues in dispute; the first oral hearing is expected to take place in the summer of this year. Of course, we will keep you updated as usual.
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Via Yomiuri
© Gege Akutami / Shueisha, JUJUTSU KAISEN Production Committee