Landmark Trial of the First "AI Voice Copyright Case" in the Nation: Used for Profit in Short Video Platforms

Nowadays, short video platforms are filled with various AI-synthesized voiceovers, and some of these voices come from real people, potentially involving copyright infringement without their consent.

According to a statement from the Beijing Internet Court, a five-judge panel has been convened for the first time to openly hear the nation's first "AI Voice Copyright Case."

In this case, the plaintiff, Mr. Yin, is a professional voice actor who has recorded voices for numerous audio works. Mr. Yin unexpectedly discovered that his voice was AI-processed and being sold under the pseudonym "Magic Little Xuan" on an app called "Magic Sound Studio."

This voice has widely circulated on platforms like TikTok and Live Bar, where TikTok user "Little He Talks Drama" has released 119 works using the plaintiff's voice from September 7, 2021, to the present. Defendant Zhongguang Yinxiang (Beijing) Culture Media Co., Ltd. provided the audio of three books recorded by the plaintiff to Defendant Microsoft (China) Co., Ltd. The latter AI-processed the plaintiff's voice and authorized Defendants Shanghai Blue Cloud Network Technology Co., Ltd. and Beijing Xinuo Era Technology Development Co., Ltd. to sell it.

Therefore, Mr. Yin alleges that the defendants' actions have infringed on his voice rights and has filed a lawsuit against the operator of "Magic Sound Studio," Beijing Xiao Wen Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd., and four other defendants in the Beijing Internet Court.

All five defendants deny the infringement allegations, and the case is still under further review.