Galit Gura-Fini, the voice behind Hebrew Siri, is suing Apple for NIS250,000 (US$67,000). She claims Apple didn’t ask permission to use her voice.
[watchOS 5: How to Enable Raise to Speak for Siri on Apple Watch]
Syllables Joined Together by an Algorithm
Ms. Gura-Fini—who also voices the Hebrew voice of Waze—says Siri “coaxes her likeness into spewing potential hate speech such as sexist language or hostile terminology.” Apple responded by saying Siri is merely “syllables joined together by an algorithm.”
Ms. Gura-Fini performed the voice for Nuance Communications, which Apple acquired in 2016. She said she only authorized the use of her voice for “legitimate” purposes. When she contacted Apple earlier this year requesting her voice be removed, Apple denied the request, saying that its acquisition of Nuance grants Apple permission to use any acquired audio recordings.
[This Brand New Patent Troll is Suing Apple Over Mobile Payments]
It’s all going to depend on her contract. If she authorized her voice be used for “legitimate” purposes, that is such a vague terminology as to be meaningless. Apple can argue that Siri is a legitimate use, and one for which she could have foreseen its use. Poof she gets kicked out of court. Unless her contract as voice-talent specifically forbid the use of her voice in any circumstances where it might be used to voice these specific types of speech she doesn’t have a leg to stand on. I don’t think this suit will go too far. What’s more I think Apple will be looking for a new voice and next update will eliminate her voice and cut off any residuals she might have been getting.
I hope nobody tells her what someone could do with her texts by copying and pasting the letters around.
I don’t think that she has a legal argument. Of course I am not a lawyer, just fairly level headed.