Human Voice: Legal Protection Challenges

Ruslan Budnik; Evgenia Evpak

Ruslan Budnik National Research University Higher School of Economics https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8076-1560
Evgenia Evpak National Research University Higher School of Economics https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5961-5657

Keywords: human voice, voice as a personal good, protection of voice, voice cloning, vocal impersonation, musical neural networks, vocaloids, legal parametrization of voice, vocal identity

Abstract

Focused on the phenomenon of human voice, the paper purports to develop approaches to legal protection of ordinary people's voices and those of artists as the technologies for sound synthesis, music and vocal performance are becoming more sophisticated. It was demonstrated the problem of legal protection of human voice has become especially pressing one in the context of artificial neural networks such as vocaloid designed for sound synthesis and voice cloning. The study provides a systemic arrangement of legally meaningful knowledge of human voice useful for the development of legal provisions to protect this personal good. The legal substance of vocal impersonation as a way to simulate and manipulate a synthesized voice was explored. Theoretically applicable legal constructs for protection of voice and computerized cloning technologies were analyzed. A trend to use copyright rather than patent for protecting vocaloid-like generative neural networks and other technological solutions for vocal synthesis was identified. The concept of voice was critically analyzed to propose a viable legal provision for its protection. The primary and auxiliary features of the concept of voice were parametrized for possible use in disputes on the legitimacy of voice cloning or vocal impersonation. The concept of vocal identity of ordinary people and artists was proposed for legal protection of this personal good as a set of performative sonic features including the basic parameters of singing voice as well as acoustic-phonetic and articulatory features of vocalization. A comprehensive legal and technological methodology for the protection of vocal identity was proposed.

Author Biographies

Ruslan Budnik, National Research University Higher School of Economics

Doctor of Sciences (Law), Professor

Evgenia Evpak, National Research University Higher School of Economics

Researcher

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