AI voice clone of classic anime sparks outrage and legal threats in Taiwan
An unidentified user posted a clip of the anime Urusei Yatsura on Threads in which AI voice cloning was used to replicate the original Mandarin dub actor's voice and regenerate dialogue with obscene language. The Taipei Dubbing Employees' Union issued a statement on January 12 condemning the unauthorized use as a violation of intellectual property and professional dignity, demanding removal and threatening legal action.
What happened
On January 11, 2026, a social media user posted on Threads a doctored clip of the anime series Urusei Yatsura (烏龍派出所) using AI to extract and replicate the voice of the original Mandarin dub voice actor and regenerate dialogue containing obscene language.
The manipulated video drew over 10,000 likes and shares on social media. As of the evening of January 12, the user had not removed the content.
Reported impact
The Taipei Dubbing Employees' Union (台北市配音人員職業工會) issued a statement on January 12 condemning the act as a serious violation of dubbing professionals' dignity and an unauthorized misuse of voice actors' likenesses.
Index analysis
The union characterized the unauthorized extraction of a voice actor's voice model and its use in crude, derisive content as infringement on intellectual property and a violation of the voice actor's professional rights.
The union stressed that voice actors are not 'material libraries' and that their voices are not 'royalty-free resources.'
Governance controls
The union demanded immediate removal of the infringing content and called for an end to all use, distribution, and sharing of the material, stating it does not rule out pursuing legal action if the content remains online.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.