A Shanghai court has ordered an unnamed AI voice-changing app to pay miHoYo 750,000 yuan for the unauthorized use of 63 character voices from the game Genshin Impact. The ruling establishes that game studios can claim ownership of character voices as part of their commercial identity, distinct from the rights of individual voice actors.
This ruling shifts the legal burden for AI voice cloning from individual performers to intellectual property holders by treating vocal characteristics as brand assets. For the streaming and gaming ecosystem, it provides a blueprint for studios to protect their characters as commercial identities under unfair competition laws, even when copyright claims are complex. The decision suggests that while generic AI imitation remains legally permissible for innovation, cloning specific, recognizable IP triggers significant liability. Industry observers should now monitor the upcoming Tokyo court verdict involving Kenjiro Tsuda to see if individual actors can secure similar protections against platforms like TikTok.
The broader landscape of combat deepfake fraud continues to evolve as regulators grapple with the rapid proliferation of synthetic media across digital platforms. Meanwhile, the UK digital replica rights consultation highlights how international governments are moving to formalize protections for performers against unauthorized AI synthesis, a trend mirrored in Canada AI copyright framework discussions regarding intellectual property theft, which is also being addressed by the NO FAKES Act currently awaiting a Senate floor vote. New biometric testing standards are also emerging to help verify authenticity in an era of synthetic media. Recent global AI regulatory frameworks developments further underscore the global push to regulate AI-generated imitations. Additional Japan voice publicity rights cases are also setting precedents for how courts handle unauthorized synthetic audio. As these legal battles unfold, German voice actors strike over training clauses highlights the growing labor tension surrounding AI voice usage.
A Shanghai court has ordered an app developer to pay miHoYo 750,000 yuan for unauthorized AI cloning of 63 Genshin Impact character voices. The ruling is significant because it classifies character voices as commercial brand assets, shifting the legal burden for AI protection from individual performers to intellectual property holders.
The Pudong New Area People’s Court ordered the defendant to pay 750,000 yuan, which is approximately $112,000, after excluding revenue from non-infringing voice packs.
The court determined that the 63 unauthorized voice clones constituted unfair competition, ruling that character voices serve as core auditory markers of the brand rather than just the property of individual actors.
The decision suggests that while generic AI imitation may remain permissible, cloning specific, recognizable intellectual property triggers significant liability, providing a legal blueprint for studios to protect their characters.
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