TL;DR:
- RIAA requests the US government to include AI voice cloning on the piracy watchlist.
- The annual list identifies entities promoting piracy and counterfeiting.
- Voicify.AI was singled out for offering voice models of music artists.
- RIAA claims AI voice cloning infringes on copyright and the right to publicity.
- A surge in unauthorized AI vocal clone services in 2023.
- Copyright concerns raised despite takedown of viral AI-generated song.
- The music industry sees growth in AI voice cloning, with some artists participating.
- Legal ambiguity surrounds AI voice cloning and the right of publicity.
- RIAA also mentions stream-ripping sites, unauthorized music platforms, and BitTorrent indexing sites.
- USTR to release final review of notorious markets, potential inclusion of AI voice cloning category uncertain.
Main AI News:
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has identified AI voice cloning as a potential threat to copyright protection. In a formal submission to the US Trade Representative (USTR), the RIAA has urged the government to consider including AI voice cloning within its annual piracy watchlist. This watchlist, known as the “Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy,” serves as a means to caution users against potential copyright infringement and counterfeiting activities, frequently spotlighting specific companies, websites, or regions. Well-known entities such as AliExpress, WeChat, and The Pirate Bay have long been featured on this list.
Within the realm of AI voice cloning, the RIAA has singled out Voicify.AI as a noteworthy concern. Voicify.AI offers voice models of prominent music artists, including Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift, and Kanye West. The RIAA alleges that the platform enables users to extract audio from YouTube videos and create a modified cappella version using AI voice modeling. The RIAA asserts that this unauthorized activity constitutes both copyright infringement and an infringement upon the sound recording artist’s right to publicity.
In its official statement, the RIAA emphasized the surge of unauthorized AI vocal clone services in 2023. These services not only infringe upon the rights of the artists whose voices are replicated but also impact the ownership rights of the sound recordings associated with each musical track. This proliferation of unauthorized derivative works has raised significant concerns within the industry.
AI voice cloning gained considerable traction over the past year, notably with the viral success of a song featuring AI versions of Drake and The Weeknd’s voices. Although YouTube removed the video containing the song following a sternly worded letter from Drake’s music label, the copyright dispute revolved around a music sample rather than the unauthorized use of the artists’ voices.
Since then, numerous other voice cloning companies have emerged, some targeting musicians and podcasters directly. Certain music artists, such as Grimes and Holly Herndon, have even created AI versions of their own voices for public use while maintaining control over their distribution. Major record labels like Universal Music Group have collaborated with Google to license their artists’ voices for AI modeling.
While the RIAA expresses concerns about websites like Voicify potentially encouraging further unauthorized voice use, the legal treatment of AI voice cloning and its potential infringement upon the right of publicity remains uncertain. Protections surrounding a person’s likeness, including their voice, vary from state to state. Aggressively pursuing legal action against AI tools that infringe on these rights could disrupt the delicate balance between tributes and cover bands that the music industry has established.
In addition to AI voice cloning, the RIAA’s comment letter to the USTR also identifies several stream-ripping sites, unauthorized music download platforms, and BitTorrent indexing sites. The USTR typically releases its final review of notorious markets at the beginning of the following year, considering recommendations from industry groups regarding websites to include in the list. Whether AI voice cloning will be added as a category for the 2023 review remains uncertain.
Conclusion:
The RIAA’s push to include AI voice cloning on the piracy watchlist underscores the industry’s growing concerns about copyright infringement. The rise of unauthorized AI vocal clone services in 2023 and the legal ambiguity surrounding AI voice cloning raise questions about the market’s future. Striking a balance between innovation and protecting artists’ rights will be crucial in navigating this evolving landscape.
