The Legalities of Voice Copyright and Impersonation in US Law

As far as I know, no one’s voice is copyrighted under US law. For example, you can impersonate someone, and “impersonator” is even a job if you are very good at it. Imitating voices (digital or manual) is currently not very limited.

In the case of telecom fraud, defrauding people is already illegal, so I see little chance of doing anything about this. The software you need is already available for download, and requires around 2,000 euros of investment for real-time voice impersonation.

If they want to do something about this, I think they will have to do it through copyright, which actors have been on strike for for a very long time in recent months.

Of course, recordings are copyrighted, and there is something to be said for saying that the output of a model trained on copyrighted work is a “derivative work”, just like samples are, for example. In that case, it becomes possible for licensees of recorded material (and not the owner of the voice itself) to stop distribution, although this view of course has a significant impact on, for example, the future of voice actors.

The court must determine how much freedom the FCC actually has. They can argue that voting itself is copyrighted, but I doubt the courts would agree.

Someone who can imitate voices can sign a piece of paper that the full rights of their voice (i.e. the impersonation of you, or an impersonation of Darth Vader) can go to their employer. Anyone who can imitate voices can quickly cash in on the voices of celebrities and victims, for prices well below market value. Unions may be able to do something about that, there are some very strong unions in the celebrity world, but I don’t think there is much to be gained from strangers.

If the FCC really wants to do something about this, I fear that the (copyright) legislation will have to be amended.

[Reactie gewijzigd door GertMenkel op 20 november 2023 20:03]

2023-11-20 17:50:16
#FTC #prevent #unlawful #cloned #votes