Sunday, 4 October 2026
Anime, manga, and games, with a take · A Yukimedia publication
← all stories industry 2 sources · 1h ago ·

Tokyo Court Ties Voice To Publicity Rights In Tsuda AI Suit

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.

Key Facts

  • 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.

Reporting from 2 sources: Anime News Network, OtakuKart Anime.

Tokyo Court Ties Voice To Publicity Rights In Tsuda AI Suit

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.

  • Defense argument: the account owner said on an outside website the narration was a "universal male voice" trained on a friend's voice. The company's lawyers said there was no confusion and no violation of the law.
  • Legal basis: Tsuda'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's likeness.
  • Anime fans know him as: Kento Nanami in Jujutsu Kaisen.
  • Video content: the videos covered urban legends, occult topics, and trivia.
  • Legal gap: Japan has no statute that establishes a standalone "voice right."
  • Earlier guidance: 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.
  • Disagreement: OtakuKart called the ruling "the country's first such judgment" and said the result was "a partial victory for Tsuda."

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 2 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

Jujutsu Kaisen Kenjiro Tsuda

More on this

  • industry Tokyopop Closes Public Share Offer With Over 300 New Owners

    The offer converts a few hundred fans into shareholders in a company whose own accountants doubt it can continue operating, so the money raised is both a lifeline and a test of whether the Owners Club model holds.

  • industry VRChat And pixiv Formalize Capital Alliance After Years Of BOOTH Collaboration

    The division of labor the two executives describe, pixiv on creation and distribution and VRChat on the place itself, means the next fight over 3D avatar money is not between the two platforms but over whether game companies bring their IP in through BOOTH and VRChat worlds rather than building their own.

  • industry Haseshin Joins ZETA DIVISION CREATOR Division

    The signing adds a multi-year streamer with 950,000 YouTube subscribers to ZETA DIVISION's CREATOR division, a group separate from its competitive rosters, which shows the team building its creator side rather than its pro-player side.

  • industry AMD Signs Deal to Acquire World Labs for About $8.2 Billion

    AMD is buying model researchers rather than another chip line: World Labs' spatial and robotics work gives AMD insight into physical AI workloads, which is the stated basis for its forward hardware and software roadmap.

  • industry Disney+ And Hulu Raise U.S. Prices Again

    Disney's entertainment streaming revenue from Disney+ and Hulu reached $5.5 billion in the third quarter of 2026, up 11% year on year, so the higher rates land while that segment is already growing.

Sources