Latest news with #CopyrightLaw
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Unauthorized AI Generation: How Can Rights of Voice Actors, Singers Be Protected?
The act of using artificial intelligence to generate voices that sound identical to those of voice actors and singers and uploading them to the internet has been rampant. Discussions should be deepened on how to protect their 'voice rights.' The internet is flooded with videos of voice actors speaking lines unrelated to works in which they participated and singers performing other singers' songs. It is believed that such content has been created by training generative AI without permission to create highly similar voices. The Japan Actors Union, whose members include many voice actors, has reported that it confirmed about 270 such cases in an investigation that was conducted over a three-month period. The union and other organizations have called for obtaining consent from rights holders when AI is used to learn voices, and they have also urged people to clearly indicate when content is generated by AI. For voice actors and singers, their voices are 'products' crafted through training and experience accumulated for years. If videos posted online get views and earn profits by using their voices, this act appears to constitute a clear infringement on their rights. Works such as text and musical compositions are protected by the Copyright Law, but voices have been interpreted conventionally as not falling under this protection. Celebrities and athletes are said to have the 'right of publicity,' which allows them to exclusively use their names and likenesses. However, whether this right also covers voices remains unclear. The Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry has warned that acts — such as a case in which voices of voice actors and other related parties were created by AI without their consent to produce alarm clocks and such products were sold — could constitute a violation of the Unfair Competition Prevention Law. However, some people argue that applying this law is difficult because proving a violation requires the AI-generated voice to be immediately recognizable as the voice of a specific person, among other requirements. In the U.S. state of Tennessee, a law was enacted last year to protect individuals' rights to their voices and likenesses from digital reproduction. It is hoped that Japan will explore ways to institute legal protection by referring to such instances. In the process of considering that, various issues will likely arise, such as how to handle impersonations by entertainers. Certain considerations may be necessary to prevent a decline in forms of cultural expression such as parody. Japan amended the Copyright Law in 2018 to allow AI tools to learn text and music without permission. As a result, the act of having AI learn animation and other works has become legal, creating a situation in which voices have been used freely without consent from rights holders. It is necessary to amend the law again to stave off unauthorized AI training in the first place. The use of AI has also raised concerns over issues such as fake videos featuring politicians that could influence elections and the spread of sexually explicit fake images, including child pornography. Measures against these deepfakes, among other problems, also must be implemented urgently. (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 27, 2025)
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock Band Rips Kristi Noem's DHS For Using Its Song With NSFW 3-Word Demand
The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club issued a blistering condemnation of the Kristi Noem-led Department of Homeland Security, alleging the unauthorized use of its recording of 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' in a government-produced video. The rock band told the DHS to 'go f... yourselves.' The track, a folk-gospel song popularized by Johnny Cash, was featured in what the San Francisco rock band slammed as a 'propaganda video.' In a scathing public statement directed at the DHS, the band wrote on social media: 'It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is improperly using our recording of 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' in your latest propaganda video. It's obvious that you don't respect Copyright Law and Artist Rights any more than you respect Habeas Corpus and Due Process rights, not to mention the separation of Church and State per the U.S. Constitution.' The group continued: 'For the record, we hereby order @DHSgov to cease and desist the use of our recording and demand that you immediately pull down your video.' And it witheringly concluded: 'Oh, and go f... yourselves.' For the record, we hereby order @DHSgov to cease and desist the use of our recording and demand that you immediately pull down your video. Oh, and go f... yourselves,-BRMC — BRMCofficial (@BRMCofficial) July 10, 2025 The band joins a growing list of musicians who have pushed back against the unauthorized use of their music, especially by Donald Trump and his White House, ranging from Adele to The Rolling Stones. Paul Krugman Exposes The Flaw At The Heart Of Trump's Cruelest Policy Chelsea's Photo After Trump Gate-Crash Is Being Read As A Master Class In Subtle Shade Fox News Star Hits Trump With A Cold Truth About His Relationship With Putin
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Rock Band Rips Kristi Noem's DHS For Using Its Song With NSFW 3-Word Demand
The Black Rebel Motorcycle Club issued a blistering condemnation of the Kristi Noem-led Department of Homeland Security, alleging the unauthorized use of its recording of 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' in a government-produced video. The rock band told the DHS to 'go f... yourselves.' The track, a folk-gospel song popularized by Johnny Cash, was featured in what the San Francisco rock band slammed as a 'propaganda video.' In a scathing public statement directed at the DHS, the band wrote on social media: 'It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is improperly using our recording of 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' in your latest propaganda video. It's obvious that you don't respect Copyright Law and Artist Rights any more than you respect Habeas Corpus and Due Process rights, not to mention the separation of Church and State per the U.S. Constitution.' The group continued: 'For the record, we hereby order @DHSgov to cease and desist the use of our recording and demand that you immediately pull down your video.' And it witheringly concluded: 'Oh, and go f... yourselves.' The band joins a growing list of musicians who have pushed back against the unauthorized use of their music, especially by Donald Trump and his White House, ranging from Adele to The Rolling Stones. Paul Krugman Exposes The Flaw At The Heart Of Trump's Cruelest Policy Chelsea's Photo After Trump Gate-Crash Is Being Read As A Master Class In Subtle Shade Fox News Star Hits Trump With A Cold Truth About His Relationship With Putin
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Acclaimed Indie Band Issues Cease & Desist to Homeland Security for Improper Use of Their Recording
Acclaimed Indie Band Issues Cease & Desist to Homeland Security for Improper Use of Their Recording originally appeared on Parade. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, an indie rock trio that rose out of the San Francisco Bay Area in the late '90s, has crossed swords with the Department of Homeland Security, which is using their version of the song 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' in a video. BMRC's press representative distributed the band's memo to the DHS on Thursday, July 10. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 'It has come to our attention that the Department of Homeland Security is improperly using our recording of 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' in your latest propaganda video. It is obvious that you don't respect Copyright Law and Artist Rights any more than you respect Habeas Corpus and Due Process rights, not to mention the separation of Church and State per the US Constitution,' it reads. 'For the record, we hereby order DHS to cease and desist the use of our recording and demand that you immediately pull down your video,' the statement adds. 'Oh, and go f... yourselves,' it concludes. The statement was also shared on the band's social media channels to a mixed reception from fans. 'Been listening to you guys for almost 20 years. Still love the music, but the political stuff on social media since 2020 has been a real turn off. Politics only divide…,' one wrote. Other fans, however, disagreed with that take. 'you can't really be a fan since you said they've only been political since 2020. They have been political since the very beginning,' one wrote. 'This is why you are one of my favorite bands,' another fan added. 'Not only did they use your song, but it's a cover… a man who was very critical of the US governments' treatment of indigenous Americans, and their war machine. They couldn't be any more dense even if they tried,' commented another. The trio has had previous success securing authorized placements of their recording of the historic song. Back on May 3, 2024, the band posted on Instagram that their recording of the song was going to be featured in the premiere of the Netflix show Man in Full. 'For the premiere of 'Man In Full' on Netflix this week we've released three different mixes to our cover of 'God's Gonna Cut You Down' featured in the series. There are layers of stories and history in songs, we'd like to give a nod & thank you to those who originally recorded some of the first versions: Golden Gate Quartet 1946-1947, The Jubalaires 1947, Bill Landford & The Landfordaires 1950, Odetta 1957. We discovered the song being fans of Odetta and after Johnny Cash's recording was released discovered others,' the band posted at the time. 'We initially tried doing a version ages ago but weren't sure where it should go, so it was curious being asked to approach the song again in a few different ways for this series. Big thanks to those who helped collaborate on it along the way, all the best to everyone we hope you can enjoy & find good things along the way,' it added. Acclaimed Indie Band Issues Cease & Desist to Homeland Security for Improper Use of Their Recording first appeared on Parade on Jul 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yomiuri Shimbun
21-06-2025
- Yomiuri Shimbun
3 Taiwanese Arrested for Possessing Pirated ‘Weekly Shonen Jump' Copies; Volumes Carry 1st Installment of ‘One Piece'
The Aichi Prefectural Police on Friday arrested three Taiwanese people for violating the Copyright Law by possessing, for the purpose of selling, pirated copies of 'Weekly Shonen Jump' with the first installment of the popular 'One Piece' manga series. The three, including a 48-year-old company executive from Nasushiobara, Tochigi Prefecture, were found to be in possession of six pirated copies of the magazine inside a car parked in Nasushiobara on June 18, the police said. They have allegedly conspired to infringe on the copyright of the publisher, Shueisha Inc. The three are believed to have domestically shipped fake copies of the weekly manga magazine which they had received from an overseas ringleader, taking in several million yen per month in sales. The issue that carried the first installment of One Piece is considered to be highly valuable, fetching approximately ¥10,000 per copy through online sales by private individuals. However, the confiscated copies differed from legitimate ones in color and paper quality, as well as having some printing defects. A Shueisha representative said, 'We are responding firmly to the malicious copyright infringement and other issues. We want people to exercise caution when making purchases.'
