Manhattan: Two voice actors initiated a lawsuit against the artificial-intelligence startup Lovo, alleging unauthorized use of their voices in its AI voiceover technology.
Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage filed a proposed class-action lawsuit, claiming that San Francisco-based Lovo unlawfully utilized AI versions of their voices without consent, obtained through deceptive means when soliciting voice samples for the company. Seeking damages of at least $5 million for the class, the actors accused Lovo of fraud, false advertising, and infringement of their publicity rights.
This lawsuit is part of a broader trend where tech companies are facing legal actions for allegedly misappropriating content, such as books, news articles, and song lyrics, to power generative AI systems.
Attorney Steve Cohen from Pollock Cohen, representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the importance of preventing similar incidents in the future. He highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the extent to which individuals are aware of their voices being used by Lovo.
According to the lawsuit, Lehrman and Sage were enlisted on the freelancer platform Fiverr to provide voiceover services for undisclosed clients. While Lehrman was informed that his voice would be utilized solely for a “research project,” Sage was under the impression that her voice would be restricted to “test scripts for radio ads.”
However, Lehrman discovered AI versions of his voice in YouTube videos discussing Russian military equipment and in a podcast episode addressing “the dangers of AI technologies.” Meanwhile, Sage’s voice was utilized for Lovo promotional materials.
Lehrman later discovered that his Fiverr client was a Lovo employee, the lawsuit stated. The actors alleged that Lovo sold the use of Lehrman’s voice under the name “Kyle Snow” and Sage’s as “Sally Coleman.” Despite receiving a cease-and-desist letter, Lovo purportedly dismissed the actors’ claims, citing their voices’ alleged lack of popularity and negligible sales.
Lehrman and Sage initiated the lawsuit on behalf of a proposed class of individuals whose voices Lovo is accused of misusing. The complaint highlighted Lovo’s website offering celebrity soundalike voices under names like “Barack Yo Mama,” “Mark Zuckerpunch,” and “Cocoon O’Brien.”
The case is Lehrman v. Lovo Inc, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, No. 1:24-cv-03770.
