The lawsuit seeks to represent other voiceover artists who believe their voices were misappropriated by LOVO and aims to obtain a court order blocking the company from continuing to use their work. The actors argue that the misuse of their voices has led to a decline in work opportunities and damage to their reputations. The case highlights a growing rift between creators and companies alleged to indiscriminately use data to power their technology, and could potentially expand to include A-list talent whose voices and likenesses have been used by LOVO.
Key takeaways:
- Voiceover actors Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage have sued Berkeley-based AI startup LOVO, accusing the company of misappropriating their voices and those of other celebrities to train its AI system.
- The lawsuit, believed to be the first of its kind, alleges that LOVO falsely represented that it had the legal right to market these voices and used them without consent, violating New York’s right of publicity law.
- LOVO allegedly contracted Lehrman and Sage through freelance platform Fiverr under the pretense of using their voices for academic research purposes only. However, they later discovered their voices being used in LOVO's subscription service.
- The lawsuit seeks to represent other voiceover artists who believe their voices were misappropriated by LOVO and aims to obtain a court order blocking the company from continuing to undercut their work.