TikTok

THE VOICE THEFT VERDICT

Kenjiro Tsuda, a 55-year-old anime voice actor known for Jujutsu Kaisen and Yu-Gi-Oh!, took TikTok to court after an anonymous account narrated 188 urban-legend videos with what he said was an AI clone of his "lustrous" baritone. On September 30, 2026, a Tokyo court ruled the human voice is legally protected under publicity rights when used "exclusively to take advantage of its commercial appeal" — while dismissing Tsuda's takedown request because the videos were already gone. The verdict is Japan's first against AI voice cloning, landing just as voice actors' unions were running a "No More" campaign against unlicensed AI mimicry.

1. Sep 30, 2026

   A TOKYO COURT JUST RULED THE HUMAN VOICE IS LEGAL PROPERTY

   Kenjiro Tsuda, 55 — the baritone behind Jujutsu Kaisen and Yu-Gi-Oh! — sued after an anonymous TikTok account with 200,000+ subscribers narrated 188 urban-legend videos in what he called an AI clone of his "lustrous" voice, worth around 500,000 yen ($3,200) a month. Presiding judge Aya Takahashi ruled a voice is protected under publicity rights when used "exclusively to take advantage of its commercial appeal", calling it "as symbolic of one's personality as portraits are". TikTok, which dismissed the voice as "generic", said it would "respect the court's judgement"; Tsuda's takedown request was dismissed because the account had already removed the videos.

   SOURCES: AFP via CoinPressreported