New York Court Tackles the Legality of AI Voice Cloning | Insights - Skadden, Arps, Slate,…

A case in the Southern District of New York, Lehrman & Sage v. Lovo, Inc., addresses the intersection of AI voice cloning technology and intellectual property rights. The case was brought by professional voice actors Paul Lehrman and Linnea Sage, and raises questions about the legal protections for individuals whose voices are cloned and commercialized without their consent.

What happened

Lehrman and Sage were approached via Fiverr to provide voice recordings, with assurances that the recordings would not be used for commercial purposes. The individuals who approached them used pseudonyms but were later revealed to be employees of Lovo, Inc., an AI voice cloning service. After delivering the recordings, Lehrman and Sage discovered that Lovo had used their voices to create AI-generated "clones" marketed under the names “Kyle Snow” and “Sally Coleman.” These cloned voices were incorporated into Lovo’s subscription service and made available to Lovo’s customers for commercial use. The plaintiffs alleged that their voices were used without authorization or compensation, and that Lovo’s representations were false and misleading. The court found that electronic messages exchanged via Fiverr, including those using screen names or pseudonyms, can satisfy the Statute of Frauds’ writing and signature requirements.