Genshin Impact Developer HoYoverse Wins $112,000 Court Judgment Against AI Voice Theft

Genshin Impact developer HoYoverse has won a legal victory in a Shanghai court, securing approximately $112,000 in a copyright and unjust competition case. According to reports from Automaton, an unnamed artificial intelligence service provider located in Shanghai was ordered to pay 750,000 Chinese Yuan after wrongfully reproducing the voices of 63 characters from the popular open world game.

The Pudong New Area People's Court of Shanghai ruled that the provider sold artificial intelligence voice packs featuring nearly identical characteristics to the gacha game characters. Furthermore, the company used modified images of the characters to promote the infringing voice packs. The court determined that the provider infringed upon both in-game content and character designs, classifying the actions as unjust competition. Evidence indicated the voice packs were used to present slightly changed versions of characters as chatty virtual avatars.

While HoYoverse succeeded in proving copyright infringement, the financial award is considerably smaller than its original demand. The developer initially sued the artificial intelligence company for 5 million Chinese Yuan, which amounts to approximately $745,000, and requested an immediate injunction. Although the court granted a smaller monetary penalty, it ordered the offending company to immediately halt its infringing behaviors.

The artificial intelligence company recently withdrew its appeal regarding the judgment, making the financial penalty inevitable. The ruling provides a notable legal precedent for developers protecting character voices and designs against unauthorized generative artificial intelligence exploitation.