Comment by dragonwriter
2 years ago
Hiring a different voice artist might show that they didn't use deepfake technology to imitate Johansson’s voice, but it absolutely doesn't prove that the voice isn't an imitation and one for which they would have been liable under existing law.
voice imitation is illegal?
Discussed a lot in the last thread on the issue, but, yes, imitation of celebrity voices voices for commercial purposes can violate the right of publicity (also known as the right of personality) in many US jurisdictions, including California (this is a matter of state statute and/or common law, not federal law.)
Copying likeness can be.
Not for commercial purposes and not in California. Otherwise you’d just hire an impersonator and never pay for celebrity endorsement.
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exactly . when you cover an artist on your show, you have to take permission first.
I am not a copyright expert, but I do own a few of Weird Al albums and he is very diligent about obtaining permissions from artists he is covering.
> Weird Al albums and he is very diligent about obtaining permissions from artists he is covering.
IIUC, Weird Al probably doesn't need permission for his parodies, legally speaking. He does get it anyway.
> I am not a copyright expert
It’s not a copyright issue, it’s a right of publicity issue, a completely separate legal issue (conceptually, more trademark-like than copyright-like, but distinct from either.)