AI firm fined $112,000 for copying Genshin character…

In a landmark legal ruling finalized in 2024, a Chinese court ordered an AI service provider to pay 750,000 yuan ($112,000) in damages to game developer miHoYo. The case centered on the unauthorized use of voice cloning technology to replicate characters from the popular title Genshin Impact.

What happened

The Pudong New Area People’s Court in Shanghai ruled against an undisclosed AI firm that sold voice conversion packs, allowing users to mimic 63 different characters from the game. To market this software, the firm utilized official game illustrations and animations, even allowing users to preview character dialogue and using modified images as avatars.

MiHoYo originally sought 5 million yuan ($746,000) in damages, arguing that the firm’s actions constituted both copyright infringement and unfair competition. In its defense, the AI company claimed its technology relied on large-scale training models and suggested that individual voice actors—rather than the developer—should be the ones to pursue rights violations.

However, the court’s decision was heavily influenced by a voiceprint analysis, which proved that the vocal characteristics produced by the AI were nearly identical to the original game audio. The defendant eventually admitted to mixing one minute of authentic Genshin Impact audio with other materials to train its model. The court determined that the game’s character designs and footage are protected audiovisual works and that the distinct character voices are essential to the game's market presence. The judge concluded that the AI firm’s imitation went beyond reasonable limits and created a significant risk of deceiving consumers into believing the service was official. Following the ruling, the AI provider was ordered to immediately cease all operations related to the infringement.