{"rewrite":{"id":"r_5cc01df49f56652653b4c26e","clusterId":"c_0f7a7d2202d6bef46f6f15e2","slug":"tokyo-court-ties-voice-to-publicity-rights-in-tsuda-ai-suit","model":"deepseek-v4-1-flash","headline":"Tokyo Court Ties Voice To Publicity Rights In Tsuda AI Suit","summary":"The Tokyo District Court dismissed a lawsuit voice actor Kenjiro Tsuda filed against TikTok's operator over videos that allegedly used AI to imitate his voice, according to a ruling handed down Wednesday. Tsuda had sought removal of the videos, but the court found they had already been deleted. The Singapore-based company that runs TikTok in Japan said the videos were taken down after the suit was filed in November 2025, arguing Tsuda no longer had a legal interest in the case. The filing described an unidentified account owner who posted at least 188 videos on urban legends and conspiracy theories between July 2024 and September 2025, with revenue estimated at 500,000 to 750,000 yen (about US$3,000 to US$4,500) per month. Tsuda's team argued the narration imitated his smooth, low-pitched voice and misled viewers. Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi found unauthorized use of a performer's voice can infringe publicity rights when the voice has commercial appeal and is used to exploit it.","whyItMatters":"The court recognized voice as a protectable publicity right even as the practical claim collapsed, so the ruling's effect lands on future generative AI cases rather than on the videos Tsuda wanted gone.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDefense argument:\u003c/strong\u003e the account owner said on an outside website the narration was a \u0026#34;universal male voice\u0026#34; trained on a friend\u0026#39;s voice. The company\u0026#39;s lawyers said there was no confusion and no violation of the law.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLegal basis:\u003c/strong\u003e Tsuda\u0026#39;s side sought removal under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act and the right of publicity. The court found a recognizable voice comparable to a person\u0026#39;s likeness.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnime fans know him as:\u003c/strong\u003e Kento Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVideo content:\u003c/strong\u003e the videos covered urban legends, occult topics, and trivia.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLegal gap:\u003c/strong\u003e Japan has no statute that establishes a standalone \u0026#34;voice right.\u0026#34;\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEarlier guidance:\u003c/strong\u003e a Ministry of Justice expert panel issued guidelines in August on interpreting existing laws for voice protection, saying voice actors and actors are protected under publicity rights and that generative AI providers could face joint liability depending on the level of infringement.\u003c/li\u003e\n  \u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDisagreement:\u003c/strong\u003e OtakuKart called the ruling \u0026#34;the country\u0026#39;s first such judgment\u0026#34; and said the result was \u0026#34;a partial victory for Tsuda.\u0026#34;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Judge Aya Takahashi found that lifting a performer's voice can violate publicity rights when the voice has commercial appeal and is used to exploit it. The removal order still failed because TikTok had already deleted the videos.","twitterPost":"The court recognized voice as a publicity right, but Tsuda lost the removal request because the 188 videos were gone before the ruling. The finding now sits as guidance for future AI voice cases in Japan.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Kenjiro Tsuda's AI voice lawsuit ended with a dismissal, but not before the Tokyo District Court found that a performer's voice can fall under publicity-right protection when it carries commercial appeal. TikTok had already removed the videos, which is why the removal request failed.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Anime News Network\",\"url\":\"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-30/voice-actor-kenjiro-tsuda-tiktok-lawsuit-dismissed-after-ai-voiced-videos-removal/.242334\",\"title\":\"Voice Actor Kenjiro Tsuda's TikTok Lawsuit Dismissed After AI-Voiced Videos' Removal\"},{\"source\":\"OtakuKart Anime\",\"url\":\"https://otakukart.com/jujutsu-kaisen-voice-actor-kenjiro-tsudas-ai-voice-lawsuit-gets-landmark-ruling-as-japan-court-recognizes-voice-as-a-publicity-right-but-rejects-his-tiktok-video-removal-request/\",\"title\":\"Jujutsu Kaisen Voice Actor Kenjiro Tsuda's AI Voice Lawsuit Gets Landmark Ruling as Japan Court Recognizes Voice as a Publicity Right, But Rejects His TikTok Video Removal Request\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":9876,"outputTokens":1360,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1791074666,"createdAt":"2026-10-04T00:41:24.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-10-04T00:43:22.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T00:43:22.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_0f7a7d2202d6bef46f6f15e2","canonicalTitle":"Jujutsu Kaisen Voice Actor Kenjiro Tsuda’s AI Voice Lawsuit Gets Landmark Ruling as Japan Court Recognizes Voice as a Publicity Right, But Rejects His TikTok Video Removal Request","representativeArticleId":"a_b5f990e3062e60e3c9213438","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Jujutsu Kaisen\"],\"manga_titles\":[\"Jujutsu Kaisen\"],\"work_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Kenjiro Tsuda\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"industry\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-09-30T13:31:14.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-09-30T13:31:14.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-10-04T00:43:20.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Anime News Network","url":"https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2026-09-30/voice-actor-kenjiro-tsuda-tiktok-lawsuit-dismissed-after-ai-voiced-videos-removal/.242334","title":"News\nVoice Actor Kenjirō Tsuda's TikTok Lawsuit Dismissed After AI-Voiced Videos' Removal"},{"source":"OtakuKart Anime","url":"https://otakukart.com/jujutsu-kaisen-voice-actor-kenjiro-tsudas-ai-voice-lawsuit-gets-landmark-ruling-as-japan-court-recognizes-voice-as-a-publicity-right-but-rejects-his-tiktok-video-removal-request/","title":"Jujutsu Kaisen Voice Actor Kenjiro Tsuda’s AI Voice Lawsuit Gets Landmark Ruling as Japan Court Recognizes Voice as a Publicity Right, But Rejects His TikTok Video Removal Request"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Jujutsu Kaisen"],"manga_titles":["Jujutsu Kaisen"],"work_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Kenjiro Tsuda"],"type":"news","domain":"industry","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The Tokyo District Court dismissed Kenjiro Tsuda's lawsuit against TikTok's operator on Wednesday over videos that allegedly used AI to imitate his voice.","Tsuda filed the lawsuit in November 2025 seeking removal of the videos, which TikTok's Japan operator said had already been deleted.","The disputed TikTok account posted at least 188 videos on urban legends and conspiracy theories between July 2024 and September 2025.","Revenue from the videos was estimated at 500,000 to 750,000 yen (about US$3,000 to US$4,500) per month, according to information the account owner posted elsewhere.","Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi found unauthorized use of a performer's voice can infringe publicity rights when the voice has commercial appeal and is used to exploit that appeal."]}