What is AI Voice Licensing?

If you’re a voice actor or are looking to hire one, you may be wondering how licensing a voice for the purpose of voice cloning would work.

Properly and legally licensing Artificial Intelligence (AI) voices is necessary for the legitimate use and creation of AI voices.

In this article

1. Key Takeaways:
2. What is AI Voice Licensing?
3. AI Voice Licenses
4. Legal Risks of Using Unlicensed AI Voices
5. How to Get an AI Voice License
6. Commercial Use of AI Voices
7. Use Cases for Licensed AI Voices
8. Conclusion

This article will explain the different types of licenses for AI voices, the legal issues, and best practices for using AI voices responsibly and legally in your projects.

Key Takeaways:

• AI voice licensing is required for legally using AI voices, especially for commercial use to avoid intellectual property issues.
• There are three types of AI voice licenses: Personal use, small scale commercial use, and large scale commercial use, each for different needs.
• Using unlicensed AI voices can lead to severe legal consequences, including copyright infringement lawsuits and fines.

What is AI Voice Licensing?

Licensing AI voices is a key component in the legitimate use of AI speech, especially for business. By getting the right license, clients can use an AI voice for their needs without infringing on intellectual property rights. 

This is crucial in commercial space, where compliance with legal standards is required, and illegal use can result in serious consequences.

At the heart of this is the ability of an AI voice generator. These tools are designed to deliver smooth and authentic voices and multiple languages and accents, so proper licensing is required for global use of voice technology.

If you want to use high-quality virtual assistants or professional-grade voice overs for international marketing campaigns, you need to understand and get the proper licenses.

This will protect you and your organization from potential lawsuits and ensure the responsible use of a powerful tool.

AI Voice Licenses

Just like all other forms of voice over, AI voices require licenses in order to be used properly and legally. However, unlike traditional voice over, AI voice licensing can be a bit complicated. 

You will want to license for the type of AI you are looking for. 

For voice cloning, each license will need to be determined between the company and the voice actor behind the AI voice. Often this will be a combination of termed licensing and in-perpetuity. Voice cloning can be the most complex because each talent will have different requirements and expectations. It is recommended that you work with a voice over expert to assist in this process.

Something like text-to-speech licensing can be a bit more straightforward. Advanced text-to-speech systems have licensing built directly into the purchasing process. Typically, this will involve selecting a broadcast or non-broadcast job and having the license applied accordingly.

Legal Risks of Using Unlicensed AI Voices

Using AI voices without proper licensing can have serious legal consequences including copyright infringement. 

Violations can lead to lawsuits, court orders to stop operations, and heavy fines. 

Companies like Suno AI and Udio AI have experienced this first-hand so it’s clear that you need to get a valid license.

Legal actions for infringement usually involve claims for breach of copyright, injunctions to prevent future breaches, and compensation for previous illegal use. 

So, using unlicensed AI voices risks immediate lawsuits and long-term economic liabilities. This is especially true in the audio industry, where there is a strong defense against the illegal use of AI technology to protect talent’s rights and prevent financial losses.

The fair use argument doesn’t usually protect businesses that engage in commercial activities involving unauthorized vocal reproductions from severe legal repercussions; so, companies involved in such projects have to get all their necessary permissions before deployment.

How to Get an AI Voice License

Getting an AI voice license requires choosing a reliable service provider and a package. 

When dealing with voice clones, you will want to work with an expert in the voice over world who has expertise in negotiating licensing and legal contracts with voice actors. It can be a laborious process and detrimental to the company if not handled correctly. The experts at Voices are equipped and ready to take on such challenges. 

When it comes to text-to-speech, several services offer different options to fit different needs and budgets. But let’s talk about ours, Voices AI Studio.

For example, using Voices AI Studio is straightforward:

1. Input or paste your script
2. Choose from various AI voices
3. Adjust settings as needed
4. Preview the output.
5. Synthesize the speech by clicking ‘Export’.

This makes it easy for individuals and organizations to create high-quality voice overs for their projects by using voice cloning technology that mimics human-like quality in voices.

Some companies offer monthly subscription models that auto-renew so you can use their AI-based vocal synthesis tools uninterrupted. 

It’s also important to check each vendor’s reliability and future prospects to make sure of their commitment to progressive updates in their voice tech over time.

Commercial Use of AI Voices

When used with commercial rights, AI voices allow companies to use the AI voice across different platforms while ensuring the original voice actors are fairly paid and their vocal data is protected. 

These agreements should be transparent and clearly spell out what consent from the performers and fair pay looks like.

Under these licensing terms, users get permission to use these advanced voices for commercial purposes. 

Users must strictly follow the provider’s guidelines. These guidelines ensure that all uses of an AI voice comply with legal and ethical standards.

There are several AI voiceover platforms that offer high-quality AI generated speech with commercial licensing.

But our team at Voices is the only AI voice company that will provide your team with decades of voice over and entertainment industry nuances and deep contractual understanding.

Our experience over two decades in the voice over space means we’ve negotiated and seen nearly every type of voice licensing contract; and many major tech companies are coming to us to help them navigate complex AI voice licensing contracts. 

Use Cases for Licensed AI Voices

Licensed AI voices are very versatile and can be used for many different purposes.

One common use case is tech companies who have in-house cloning capabilities but lack the expertise in negotiating proper licensing. Voices works hand-in-hand with these clients to ensure they are protected while maintaining their budget.   

Other uses of AI voices:

• Customer service where AI voices power virtual assistants and chatbots for real-time support
• Navigation apps to provide turn-by-turn directions
• E-learning platforms to convert text-based educational content into audio format
• Podcasting to generate professional quality narratives, save time, and ensure consistent audio quality.

Conclusion

By understanding different license types, the consequences of unlicensed use, and the benefits of proper licensing, your team is empowered to make informed decisions. 

Doing this right the first time ensures your projects are legally sound and ethically responsible, freeing you to focus on the true magic; creating incredible audio experiences.