Paul Skye Lehrman and Linnea Sage have filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Lovo, an artificial intelligence startup, in Manhattan federal court. The lawsuit alleges that Lovo illegally copied the voices of Lehrman and Sage and used them without permission in its AI voiceover technology. The actors are seeking damages of at least $5 million for the class, accusing Lovo of fraud, false advertising, and violating their publicity rights.
According to the lawsuit, Lehrman and Sage were approached on the freelancer marketplace Fiverr to provide voiceover work for anonymous clients. They were misled into believing that their voices would be used only for specific purposes, such as a “research project” or “test scripts for radio ads.” However, their voices were later used by Lovo without their consent.
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Lehrman heard AI versions of his voice in YouTube videos and a podcast episode, while Sage’s voice was used for Lovo promotional materials. Lehrman discovered that his Fiverr client was a Lovo employee.
The actors later learned that Lovo was selling the use of their voices to subscribers under different names. Lovo responded to a cease-and-desist letter by downplaying the actors’ voices’ popularity and sales.
The lawsuit seeks to represent a proposed class of individuals whose voices Lovo is accused of misusing. The complaint also mentions Lovo’s offering of celebrity soundalike voices on its website.
Lovo has not yet responded to the lawsuit. The case is titled Lehrman v. Lovo Inc and is filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
