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ARTICLE · 01 AUGUST 2025

Fundamental Copyright Principles Underscored In AI Context: Voice Attributes Are Not Protectable

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The Southern District of New York issued a recent opinion in Lehrman et al v. Lovo, Inc., 1-24-cv-03770 (SDNY Jul. 10, 2025) (J. Paul Oetken) regarding copyright infringement issues involving artificial intelligence models...

United StatesIntellectual Property
David Ervin
David Ervin
Fan Cheng
Fan Cheng

The Southern District of New York issued a recent opinion in Lehrman et al v. Lovo, Inc., 1-24-cv-03770 (SDNY Jul. 10, 2025) (J. Paul Oetken) regarding copyright infringement issues involving artificial intelligence models, focusing this time on voice cloning. Two voice-over actors, Paul Lehrman and Linnea Sage, filed a lawsuit against Lovo, Inc., a company specializing in AI-driven text-to-speech services. The Plaintiffs alleged that Lovo used artificial intelligence to clone their voices without authorization, raising complex legal questions regarding intellectual property and privacy rights in the age of AI.

Lehrman and Sage, both established voice-over actors, discovered that Lovo had used their voice recordings to create AI-generated voice clones, which were marketed under fictitious names. These cloned voices were said to be "identical to" the Plaintiffs' voices—a "replica," according to professionals experienced in "discerning and conveying small differences

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