Japan bets old personality rights can handle the AI clone era
By Toko Sekiguchi ( August 7, 2026, 06:53 GMT | Comment) -- Japan is betting that court-developed personality rights can govern AI voice and likeness cloning, avoiding a dedicated synthetic identity law while leaving difficult questions of commercial control and liability unresolved.In Japan, a famous voice can be as valuable as a famous face. Generative AI can now make that voice say, sing or sell almost anything, putting new pressure on publicity and portrait rights that Japanese courts developed long before synthetic performers existed....
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