Tokyo court says a performer's voice can carry publicity rights, but dismisses TikTok deletion claim
A Tokyo court said unauthorized exploitation of a commercially attractive voice can infringe publicity rights. It dismissed Kenjiro Tsuda's TikTok deletion claims after the posts were removed, without deciding whether the clips infringed.
The big change
The court said a person's voice can symbolize identity like a likeness. Unauthorized use of a performer's voice can infringe publicity rights when the voice attracts customers and the use is solely aimed at exploiting that appeal. The judges did not decide whether these clips met that test.
Performers challenging commercial voice imitation can now cite that judicial statement, but they still need evidence tying a disputed voice and its use to the claim. Tsuda's deletion request ended after the posts were removed, leaving similarity, infringement and TikTok's responsibility for the posts unresolved.
