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I expect the existing laws will be extended. I had a colleague tell me about looking into how much Morgan freeman wanted for a 15s commercial ($$$$$$). The alte

I expect the existing laws will be extended. I had a colleague tell me about looking into how much Morgan freeman wanted for a 15s commercial ($$$$$$). The alternative he used was a “sound alike” voice actor, for which Morgan Freeman received royalties to the tune of $$$$$.

pcthrowaway 3y ago
Why would Morgan Freeman be entitled to royalties for a commercial where the voice over sounded similar to his voice... unless he actually sold the rights to represent him with a vocal likeness in the commercial (AKA he didn't do the voice over, but the commercial was able to claim the voice over was by Morgan Freemen, or that it represented Morgan Freeman's opinions... like when a book by a celebrity is actually written by someone else)
- frereubu 3y ago
  I don't get this either, and would be very interested in a clear explanation.
- galangalalgol 3y ago
  yeah at least in the US you are fine as long as you don't claim the voice is a certain person.
- 3np 3y ago
  Gathering, retaining, using individual voice recordings for business purposes may be regulated, though. Already is in places, even if enforcement and precedence is lacking. So there'd be no legal way to produce or share the model generating such a voice or its output.
- kevinmchugh 3y ago
  You can't use a Tom Waits (or Morgan Freeman) sound-a-like because you're profiting off their work and likeness. Unless the celeb sells a licensed sound-a-like. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/when-tom-waits-sued-doritos/ https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/when-tom-waits-sued-doritos/
  - chankstein38 3y ago
    What if my voice sounded like Tom Waits or Morgan Freeman and I did commercials? It doesn't and I don't I'm just curious how this makes sense. Is it just if the voice is advertised to sound like him?
    - stuckinhell 3y ago
      Yes you would owe them money. This why I'm against artists trying to chokehold the AI.
      - pcthrowaway 3y ago
        I don't think with the current copyright system you would owe another artist money when recording a commercial just because your voice happens to sound like theirs. But with AI perhaps it's "fair" (given the assumption that there's any fairness to copyright in the first place) to expect a creator to provide some kind of compensation to the source material that their AI was trained on. Case in point, this bot was clearly trained on David Attenborough samples, perhaps it can't be used commercially without purchasing some rights to the man's likeness.
        stuckinhell 3y ago
        Picasso is widely quoted as having said that “good artists borrow, great artists steal.” https://lifehacker.com/an-artist-explains-what-great-artists-steal-really-me-1818808264 https://lifehacker.com/an-artist-explains-what-great-artists...
        lbwtaylor 3y ago
        There is a significant difference between "stealing" artistic ideas, and impersonating individual humans. How folks can think it's reasonable to impersonate Morgan Freeman and use his voice to sell, for example, crypto crap. It's gross and should absolutely be illegal.
        3y ago
- vasco 3y ago
  Right of Publicity: https://higgslaw.com/celebrities-sue-over-unauthorized-use-of-identity/ https://higgslaw.com/celebrities-sue-over-unauthorized-use-o...
  - airstrike 3y ago
    if my product doesn't imply or state that the voice is Morgan Freeman's, I don't think they really have a case? at least not based on common sense
    - justinpombrio 3y ago
      If the voice was chosen specifically to sound like Morgan Freeman, for the purpose of making listeners think it's Morgan Freeman when they hear it, it seems reasonable for it to run afoul of Morgan Freeman's right to publicity.
      - airstrike 3y ago
        I owe nothing to Morgan Freeman just because I sound like him, unless I'm intentionally misleading listeners by advertising his name or implying as much
        ewi_ 3y ago
        If they can reasonably argue that you're being hired because you sound like Morgan Freeman and you wouldn't get the job otherwise, then they likely have a case.
        airstrike 3y ago
        Not if "sound like Morgan Freeman" is a proxy for "have a nice-sounding voice". They could prefer people who sound like Morgan Freeman even if they are not representing to listeners that the voice is that of Morgan Freeman. Big distinction there.
        thrwy_918 3y ago
- bradley13 3y ago
  Tell that to Einstein's family. Put an older guy with a German accent and wild white hair in a commercial, and they want paid. Honestly, it's offensive that they can "own" a general appearance. But their lawyers manage to enforce it.
  - avar 3y ago
    An easy workaround for this is to dress your German speaker in a Nazi uniform, now suddenly nobody wants to. be associated with them, even if you keep the unkempt white hair.
    - jmvoodoo 3y ago
      Now you're being sued for defamation though.
- tantalor 3y ago
  I could understand if the actor was actually marketed as or publicly known a soundalike. But on the other hand, does "store brand lucky charms" have to pay a kick back to General Mills?
  - happycube 3y ago
    If it's on the shelf right next to the original, it was probably made by General Mills.
    - onionisafruit 3y ago
      That’s what my mother said. She was wrong.
ciabattabread 3y ago
> The alternative he used was a “sound alike” voice actor, for which Morgan Freeman received royalties to the tune of $$$$$. Was it Josh Robert Thompson, who is officially authorized? [1] [1] https://filmschoolrejects.com/morgan-freeman-crab-in-barb-and-star-go-to-vista-del-mar/ https://filmschoolrejects.com/morgan-freeman-crab-in-barb-an...
WalterBright 3y ago
I'd pay to stop hearing Morgan Freeman's voiceovers everywhere. It's way overplayed. At least do some James Earl Jones!
antod 3y ago
My father had a friend who was a well recognised commercial voice over artist , and told me about his fees. There was a fee for doing the actual work, but a much bigger exclusivity/exposure fee designed to prevent his voice getting over used to the point where future work dried up.

pcthrowaway 3y ago

Why would Morgan Freeman be entitled to royalties for a commercial where the voice over sounded similar to his voice... unless he actually sold the rights to represent him with a vocal likeness in the commercial (AKA he didn't do the voice over, but the commercial was able to claim the voice over was by Morgan Freemen, or that it represented Morgan Freeman's opinions... like when a book by a celebrity is actually written by someone else)

frereubu 3y ago
I don't get this either, and would be very interested in a clear explanation.
galangalalgol 3y ago
yeah at least in the US you are fine as long as you don't claim the voice is a certain person.
3np 3y ago
Gathering, retaining, using individual voice recordings for business purposes may be regulated, though. Already is in places, even if enforcement and precedence is lacking. So there'd be no legal way to produce or share the model generating such a voice or its output.
kevinmchugh 3y ago
You can't use a Tom Waits (or Morgan Freeman) sound-a-like because you're profiting off their work and likeness. Unless the celeb sells a licensed sound-a-like. https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/when-tom-waits-sued-doritos/ https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/when-tom-waits-sued-doritos/
- chankstein38 3y ago
  What if my voice sounded like Tom Waits or Morgan Freeman and I did commercials? It doesn't and I don't I'm just curious how this makes sense. Is it just if the voice is advertised to sound like him?
  - stuckinhell 3y ago
    Yes you would owe them money. This why I'm against artists trying to chokehold the AI.
    - pcthrowaway 3y ago
      I don't think with the current copyright system you would owe another artist money when recording a commercial just because your voice happens to sound like theirs. But with AI perhaps it's "fair" (given the assumption that there's any fairness to copyright in the first place) to expect a creator to provide some kind of compensation to the source material that their AI was trained on. Case in point, this bot was clearly trained on David Attenborough samples, perhaps it can't be used commercially without purchasing some rights to the man's likeness.
      - stuckinhell 3y ago
        Picasso is widely quoted as having said that “good artists borrow, great artists steal.” https://lifehacker.com/an-artist-explains-what-great-artists-steal-really-me-1818808264 https://lifehacker.com/an-artist-explains-what-great-artists...
        lbwtaylor 3y ago
        There is a significant difference between "stealing" artistic ideas, and impersonating individual humans. How folks can think it's reasonable to impersonate Morgan Freeman and use his voice to sell, for example, crypto crap. It's gross and should absolutely be illegal.
        3y ago
vasco 3y ago
Right of Publicity: https://higgslaw.com/celebrities-sue-over-unauthorized-use-of-identity/ https://higgslaw.com/celebrities-sue-over-unauthorized-use-o...
- airstrike 3y ago
  if my product doesn't imply or state that the voice is Morgan Freeman's, I don't think they really have a case? at least not based on common sense
  - justinpombrio 3y ago
    If the voice was chosen specifically to sound like Morgan Freeman, for the purpose of making listeners think it's Morgan Freeman when they hear it, it seems reasonable for it to run afoul of Morgan Freeman's right to publicity.
    - airstrike 3y ago
      I owe nothing to Morgan Freeman just because I sound like him, unless I'm intentionally misleading listeners by advertising his name or implying as much
      - ewi_ 3y ago
        If they can reasonably argue that you're being hired because you sound like Morgan Freeman and you wouldn't get the job otherwise, then they likely have a case.
        airstrike 3y ago
        Not if "sound like Morgan Freeman" is a proxy for "have a nice-sounding voice". They could prefer people who sound like Morgan Freeman even if they are not representing to listeners that the voice is that of Morgan Freeman. Big distinction there.
      - thrwy_918 3y ago
bradley13 3y ago
Tell that to Einstein's family. Put an older guy with a German accent and wild white hair in a commercial, and they want paid. Honestly, it's offensive that they can "own" a general appearance. But their lawyers manage to enforce it.
- avar 3y ago
  An easy workaround for this is to dress your German speaker in a Nazi uniform, now suddenly nobody wants to. be associated with them, even if you keep the unkempt white hair.
  - jmvoodoo 3y ago
    Now you're being sued for defamation though.
tantalor 3y ago
I could understand if the actor was actually marketed as or publicly known a soundalike. But on the other hand, does "store brand lucky charms" have to pay a kick back to General Mills?
- happycube 3y ago
  If it's on the shelf right next to the original, it was probably made by General Mills.
  - onionisafruit 3y ago
    That’s what my mother said. She was wrong.

ciabattabread 3y ago

> The alternative he used was a “sound alike” voice actor, for which Morgan Freeman received royalties to the tune of $$$$$. Was it Josh Robert Thompson, who is officially authorized? [1] [1] https://filmschoolrejects.com/morgan-freeman-crab-in-barb-and-star-go-to-vista-del-mar/ https://filmschoolrejects.com/morgan-freeman-crab-in-barb-an...

WalterBright 3y ago

I'd pay to stop hearing Morgan Freeman's voiceovers everywhere. It's way overplayed. At least do some James Earl Jones!

antod 3y ago

My father had a friend who was a well recognised commercial voice over artist , and told me about his fees. There was a fee for doing the actual work, but a much bigger exclusivity/exposure fee designed to prevent his voice getting over used to the point where future work dried up.