Voice Cloning Guide: How to use our technology safely and follow best practice

You can voice clone in three scenarios, with exceptions described below:

• Voice cloning will be safe if you use your own voice and content to generate a clone. You can use this clone for any purpose.
• Voice cloning will be safe if you use someone else’s voice or content to generate a clone with their permission. You can use this clone for any purpose you received permission for.
• Voice cloning is only sometimes safe if you use someone else’s voice and materials to generate a clone without their permission. You can use this clone for certain non-commercial purposes if you don’t impact the person’s privacy or economic interests. These non-commercial purposes include:
  • private study and non-commercial research
  • education
  • caricature, parody and satire
  • artistic and political speech contributing to public debates
  • quotation
  • criticism and review

A very important rule applies to all uses of voice cloning technology: you cannot clone a voice for abusive purposes such as fraud, discrimination, hate speech or for any form of online abuse without infringing the law.

This rule applies even if you use your own materials to generate a clone, or have received others’ permissions. If you use voice cloning technology for harmful purposes you may be criminally liable. As a service provider, we may be obligated by law to report criminal and other unlawful activities occurring on our sites. We may also suspend or terminate your account.

Cloning a voice safely, and following best practice, is a simple two-step process you can follow yourself. We describe what this process looks like in practice in the next section.

To find out more, go to:

• Voice cloning: safe use and best practice in two steps
• What happens if you violate our policies?

Voice cloning : safe use and best practice in two steps

There are usually two steps involved in working with voice cloning technology: making the voice clone and sharing it. We explain each step below and give you tips on what you can do to make things easier.

Step 1 | Make your voice clone

You need three key source materials to generate your voice clone:

• a voice
• a recording of that voice
• input text to generate new speech

Each source material may carry different rights. Typically, a voice is protected by rights such as personal data, personality, publicity or performers’ rights. The recording may carry copyright in the spoken words and in the recording itself. The “input” text can also be protected by copyright.

If you are using your own voice and have created your own recording and text, you can safely use them to generate your voice clone. This is because as the creator you will own the rights in your materials.

If you are using other people’s content, you will need to “clear” the rights in the materials to be able to use them for voice cloning. “Clearing rights” means asking for permission to use the materials from the people who own them, or checking that the law allows you to use the materials without permission.

To find out more, go to:

• How do I find out if rights apply in the source materials I use?
• How do I ask for permission ?
• When can I use other people’s voice or content without their permission?

Step 2 | Share your voice clone

Credit your source materials

You should always credit the creators of the source materials you have used to generate your voice clone (including yourself!).

Be as precise as possible in your credits. Indicate whose voice you have cloned, who produced and edited the sound recordings, and who wrote the text you’ve used to prompt new speech in the voice clone.

You will need to credit ElevenLabs when you share your voice clone if you use our default voices on our free-tier account.

To find out more, go to:

• How do I credit my source materials?

Disclose content manipulation

Make it clear that your voice clone is manipulated content, and as such it does not constitute an “authentic” recording of the imitated voice.

You can do so by adding a notice in the text or images accompanying the voice clone when you share it - for example by a simple mention that your content is AI-generated. You can also make your voice clone read your notice at the start or the end of the recording by including this information in your “input” text.

Communicate your own rights and permissions in the voice clone

Your voice clone may be original enough to be protected by its own intellectual property rights. If this is the case, you may be the owner of the rights in the voice clone. You may also own the rights in other source materials you have created, like the text you have used to prompt new speech.

It is always useful to tell others what they can or cannot do with your voice clone when you share it. If you are happy for the public to use your voice clone, tell them!

Explain whether you have conditions for the use of your voice clone by others. For example, are you happy for people to use your voice clone for commercial and non-commercial purposes? Can other people modify and repurpose your voice clone? Do you want to be credited as the creator of the voice clone?

If you clone your own voice and share it under a free license, your license will also allow others to re-clone your voice to generate new speech. If you do not want this to happen, make sure you exclude this permission from the scope of your license.

While you are the owner of your materials, you also give us a license to your contributions (including your voice clone) when you upload or connect them to our sites. For more on this, revisit our terms of service.

To find out more, go to:

• How do I communicate my rights and permissions in the voice clone?

Q&A and tips

How do I find out if rights apply in the source materials I want to use?

Today, intellectual property and related rights apply to almost any content we make. Most rights do not need to be registered to apply, they arise when new content is created. Rights also last a very long time. For example, copyright can last for the lifetime of the creator plus seventy years after their death.

For these reasons, it is safe to assume that most of the content you come across (like text, images or sound) is protected and that the rights are owned by their creators. You will need their permission to use their voice or content for cloning.

You may not need to get permission from other creators if you are voice cloning for study or research, education, parody or satire, quotation, criticism or review or contribute to public debates. This exception does not apply if you receive a commercial benefit from your voice clone, or impact creators’ economic interests.

Keep in mind that someone’s voice can be regarded as their personal data by the law. Someone’s personal data can be used with their consent or in the pursuit of a legitimate interest (like contributing to public debates) if you do not interfere with their privacy.

Content which is not protected by law can be reused freely, including for voice cloning. This type of content is also known as content “in the public domain” or “public domain” content.

Content in the public domain will include:

• materials which were not protected by law in the first place (like ideas, facts or unoriginal content)
• materials for which the protection has expired
• materials dedicated to the public domain by their creators

You can find public domain materials through digital archives and databases available online. Look up platforms like Creative Commons Archives or Librivox for sound and text that are free to reuse.

How do I ask for permission to use other people’s content?

You can use the voice and content of others with their consent. You need to get their permission before using their materials on voice cloning technology.

Contact the creator (or owner) of the voice or content. Explain what materials you want to use, how you plan on using it, and for what purpose. Describe how and where you intend to share your voice clone. If the creator (or owner) agrees to your terms, you can go ahead with your plans.

Some content creators monetize their work by allowing others to use their materials in exchange for a fee. You can negotiate the fee based on what value their content represents to you, how much and how long you will use their content for, and your budget.

It is best to have their permission in writing, which can include emails, social media messages or texts. Keep a copy of the permission somewhere safe in case you need to return to it later.

For example you might write something like:

Hi ABC,

I love your voice. I’d like to generate a clone of your voice using ElevenLabs’ technology to voice-over one of my video clips reviewing a release of a new mobile phone.

I’d like to use this sound recording you’ve posted on your socials (title: “...”, posted on 11th February 2023, URL link) to generate a 20-second voice clone for my video. I’ll share my video on my socials (Instagram and TikTok).

Would that be okay with you?

Thanks,
XYZ

When can I use other people’s voice or content without their permission?

You are sometimes allowed to use someone else’s voice or content (like text or sound recordings) without their permission. This will be the case in limited circumstances including:

• private study and non-commercial research
• education
• caricature, parody and satire
• artistic and political speech contributing to public debates
• quotation
• criticism and review

Using someone’s voice or content without their permission is only possible if you respect certain, strict conditions.

• First | You must ensure that the act and purpose of voice cloning fits the legal definition of “personal use and private research”, “education”, “parody and satire” and “artistic or political speech” which are narrow. We describe what each of these phrases mean below.
• Second | The voice clone you create and share cannot impact the economic interests or tarnish the reputation of the person whose voice or content has been used.
• Third | The voice clone you create cannot engage in harmful, discriminatory or hate speech as defined by law. You should also respect the privacy of the person whose voice you are cloning.

It is also important to credit your sources and disclose that content has been manipulated. Look up ‘Credit your source materials’ and ‘Disclose content manipulation’ to find out more.

Use of voice or content for private study and non-commercial research

You can use another person’s voice or content for private study and non-commercial research without their permission.

Private study is defined as the task of learning new knowledge. Research is understood as the process of studying to eventually create new knowledge. In practice, the two are often connected.

You can not share the voice clone with other people and you cannot direct a commercial gain (direct or indirect) from either activity. If you do, you will need the permission of the people owning the rights to the materials you’ve used.

For example, a student can upload an academic paper to generate a voice clone narrating the text. This way they can listen to the paper they have been asked to read by their teacher. The student can create the voice clone without asking for the permission of the author of the paper, and using any voices they like. The student cannot share their voice clone with another student or a friend without permission from the owners of the paper or the voice.

Use of voice or content for education

Schools and other education establishments can use content without the permission of the people owning the rights to the materials if they are used for teaching purposes.

Schools and other education establishments may use the voices of anyone who can reasonably expect their voices to be imitated or reused in public like public figures or performers.

This allowance only applies if teaching services are provided on a non-commercial basis.

For example, a lecturer can generate a voice clone of a poem so she can play the narrative to her students in className. The lecturer can use the voice of any public figure she likes to create the voice clone. She does not need permission from the poet, their publisher to use the source materials in this way. The lecturer cannot share the voice clone outside the context of teaching her students. The lecturer must make sure her students know the content is generated using voice cloning technology.

Use of voice or content for caricature, parody and satire

You can use voice cloning technology to make a caricature, parody or satire of a person, or of the content they’ve created. You can use the voice of anyone who can reasonably expect their voices to be used in the context, like a public figure.

The voice clone needs to be sufficiently different from the source materials. The intention to produce a caricature, parody or satire needs to be very clear and obvious. The voice clone also needs to communicate an element of humour or mockery to be recognized as a caricature, parody or satire. You cannot use caricatures, parodies or satires to convey discriminatory messages, hate speech or other harmful content.

For example, any internet user can generate a voice clone of a political figure like former US President Donald Trump or French Président Emmanuel Macron without their permission. The voice clone will need to express humor or mockery in a way that it is clear to the listener that what they are hearing is a parody, and not authentic content. The internet user is allowed to share their voice clone with others, and must mention the parody was generated using voice cloning technology.

Use of voice or content criticism or review

You can use another person’s voice or content without their permission for criticism or review. The source materials need to be publicly available before you use them in your voice clone for criticism or review.

Your voice clone can comment on any aspects of the source materials you’ve used, or convey strong negative opinions about the content as long as they are not defamatory.

For example, a film critic can create a voice clone to narrate his review of a film using the voice of the lead actor. The critic can also use dialogues from the film to generate the voice clone. His review can be positive or critical of the film or the actor’s performance. The critic can not use his review to defame or unfairly tarnish the actor’s reputation or anyone else’s mentioned in the voice clone. He must mention that they generated the review using voice cloning technology.

Use of voice or content for quotation

You can quote someone’s content without their permission by using very short excerpts from source materials in your voice clone.

This mainly applies to the text prompting new speech in your voice clone which can be made of quotes from different texts (books, lyrics, newspapers).

Under existing laws, it is not clear whether you can use short excerpts of someone else’s voice without their permission. It may be possible to quote the voices of UK-based artists and public figures who do not own personality or similar rights in other countries. However it can be difficult to find out whether someone holds such rights in countries outside the UK.

For this reason, it is safer to avoid using someone else’s voice without their permission in these circumstances. Instead, use one’s own voice or one of ElevenLab’s default voices or ask for the person’s permission before using their voice in your voice clone.

Use of voice or content for artistic or political speech of public interest

You can use someone’s voice or content without their permission if your voice clone contributes to debates of public interest. In this context, your voice clone may be protected as “free speech”.

If your voice clone generates direct or indirect commercial benefits, it will be considered “commercial speech” and be excluded from your right to “free speech”.

Note that your right of free speech is narrow and will be balanced against the rights of privacy and intellectual property owned by the people whose voice or content you are using.

For example, a journalist can generate a voice clone to narrate their argument in the context of a debate about climate change using the voice of different politicians to contrast their position on the topic. The journalist can use text from reports, books or articles to prompt new speech in the voice clone. The voice clone can use the politicians’ voices if it is relevant to the argument they make. The journalist must disclose that the content was generated using voice cloning technology.

How do I credit my source materials?

“Crediting your sources” means naming the person who created the materials you have used to generate your voice clone.

You credit someone by attributing their name to their content.

For example you can write:

This content was generated by using the following content:
Sound and recording by OnePlusFour
Voice and performance by Aysha Shorm
Text by Barry Real

You can include your credits by adding this information in:

• text or images accompanying the voice clone where you publish it
• the voice clone itself, by including this information in the text to prompt new speech
• the metadata of your voice clone.

Listen to this as an example:


In this recording, we credit the sources for:

• Synthetic voice & sound recording created by ElevenLabs
• Text from The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

How do I communicate my own rights and permissions in the voice clone?

Communicating your rights and permissions” means stating what rights you own in the materials (including your voice clone) and what permissions (if any) you are happy to give others to reuse your content.

Communicate this information alongside the voice clone in accompanying text, images or within the voice clone itself.

If you want others to respect your rights in the voice clone and ask you for permission to reuse, you can write:

All rights reserved in the voice clone. Creation and rights owned by [your name].

If you are happy for others to reuse your voice clone for free without asking for your permission first, you can tell them and specify what types of re-use is allowed. You are effectively extending a free license to the future users of your voice clone.

Here are examples of different licenses:

All rights reserved in the voice clone. Creation and rights owned by [your name].

OR

All rights reserved in the voice clone. Creation and rights owned by [your name]. The voice clone can be reused for non-commercial purposes, with attribution.

OR

All rights reserved in the voice clone. Creation and rights owned by [your name]. The voice clone can be used for any purposes, with attribution.

OR

All rights reserved in the voice clone. Creation and rights owned by [your name]. The voice clone can be used for any purposes, no attribution required.

OR

All rights reserved in the voice clone. Creation and rights owned by [your name]. The voice clone has been dedicated to the public domain, no attribution required.

If you clone your own voice, you may be happy for others to reuse the clone you have made on the condition that they do not re-clone your voice to generate new speech. You can exclude cloning or synthesization (another word for digital cloning) from the scope of your license by including a term to that effect. For example, you can write:

All rights reserved in the voice clone. Creation and rights owned by [your name]. The voice clone can be reused for non-commercial purposes, with attribution. This permission excludes the re-cloning or synthesization of the voice to generate speech.

You can pick and choose the conditions of your license which best fit your project.

Have a look at the tools designed by the organization Creative Commons to find ideas of terms to use in your license.

Creative Commons has come up with simple buttons and tools to communicate permissions for the reuse of your materials. They are a useful way to communicate your rights and permissions because they are easily recognizable by the public.

Link: Creative Commons

What happens if you violate our policies?

You can read our policies in our terms of service.

If you violate our policies or terms of service, we may suspend or terminate your account. If this happens, you may lose access to projects you’ve created through your account and we may not allow you to create a new account.

We may also report any illegal activity in accordance with applicable laws to the authorities or work with authorities on further action.