Tokyo court grants legal protection to human voices in AI clone case

TOKYO (AP) — A Tokyo court has awarded legal protection to the human voice in a landmark case in which a popular Japanese anime voice actor demanded that TikTok close an account over its unauthorized use of artificial intelligence clone of his trademark baritone.

The Tokyo District Court's decision Wednesday was the first acknowledgment of the right to one's voice in Japan. The ruling was good news for many anime voice actors at a time when they are increasingly concerned about the use of AI-generated versions of their voices on social media.

The plaintiff, Kenjiro Tsuda, is an actor best known for his “lustrous and deep” voice in starring characters such as Kento Nanami in “Jujutsu Kaisen,” a popular anime series.

In his lawsuit, Tsuda said that the anonymous operator of the TikTok account “Nanami" wrongfully profited by attracting viewers with his voice narrating in more than 180 videos about urban legends and paranormal phenomena, and asked for the material to be deleted.

“The human voice is symbolic of individual personality, just like one's portrait," Presiding Judge Aya Takahashi said, according to a court document seen by The Associated Press.

It is appropriate to consider the unauthorized use with an obvious intention to take advantage of the commercial appeal of Tsuda's voice “an infringement of publicity rights,” Takahashi said.

As of November 2025, the account had more than 200,000 subscribers, with viewers often noting the similarities between the narrator's voice and Tsuda's.

The defendant argued that the videos used AI-generated voice that sounded like Tsuda's but was not his, and that the videos did not damage the actor's reputation as a voice actor.

The ruling dismissed Tsuda's demand that all the videos using his voice be deleted, because the account had already been closed.

Wednesday's decision comes at a time of growing concern among Japanese voice actors about the AI cloning of their trademark voices in anime.

In 2024, OpenAI announced plans to halt the use of one of its ChatGPT voices after “Her” actor Scarlett Johansson said it sounded “eerily similar” to her own.

Last year, Oscar-winning actors Michael Caine and Matthew McConaughey made deals with voice-cloning company ElevenLabs to allow its AI technology to replicate their voices.

Kenjiro Tsuda, a Japanese actor is seen on a stage, November, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan. (Kyodo News via AP)

SEPANG, Malaysia (AP) — Max Verstappen has set himself a target of winning one race in what's left of the 2026 Formula 1 season, after missing out by less than two tenths of a second at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Verstappen arrives at F1's first race in Malaysia since 2017 with the prospect looming of a first winless season since his rookie year in 2015 as Red Bull struggles to keep up with Mercedes at the front despite recent improvements.

"We are scoring quite a few podiums now but I want to win. That’s what I’m here for and I’m getting close, but I want to at least win one race this year. So I hope we can do it at some point," Verstappen said Thursday ahead of this week's race, which is branded as the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.

"We’re anyway not fighting for the championship, so for us it’s a big learning curve, but the last few weekends have been a lot better (than) at the start of the season."

Verstappen's desperate charge against George Russell on the final straight in Baku on Saturday ended in his fourth runner-up finish in the last eight races. He's sixth in the standings with barely half of leader Kimi Antonelli's points tally.

Exactly how many races are left in 2026 for Verstappen to chase an elusive win remains unclear given the uncertainty over the final two scheduled races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Eight are left on the schedule including those races, but if they can't go ahead, F1 could opt for one replacement event in Italy.

Asked which tracks might suit his chances best, Verstappen said: "You don’t really know because it also depends on what (upgrades) other people are bringing constantly. I don’t really care to be honest. As long as I win one that would be nice."

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen smiles during the drivers' press conference ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)