When you need one
Whenever you clone a voice that isn't your own. abcVoiceover's terms of service only allow your own voice or one whose owner has agreed to it being used this way, and a written agreement is the simplest proof that they did. It protects them, and it protects you if anyone asks later. Even a friend helping out for free deserves to know what they're agreeing to.
The template
Replace everything in [square brackets]. Delete the clauses you don't need.
Voice cloning permission
- Who. I, [full name] ("the speaker"), give [your name or company] ("the producer") permission to make an AI clone of my voice, on the terms below.
- The recording. The clone will be made from [describe the recording, e.g. "a 12-second recording made on [date]"] and from no other recording of me.
- The project. The cloned voice may be used only for [project name and short description], including [new episodes / updates / sequels, or "no other project"].
- The uses. The audio may be published as [e.g. a podcast, a video game, an online course] on [where, e.g. "podcast platforms and YouTube"], in [languages, e.g. "English only" or "any language"].
- The content. The voice will only say lines that fit [the project / the character of ...]. It won't be used for advertising, political messages, explicit content or anything that misrepresents my own views, unless I agree in writing first. [Optional: I'll be sent new lines to approve before they're published.]
- How long. This permission lasts [until a date / for the life of the project / until I withdraw it].
- Payment. I'll be paid [amount, and when; or "nothing"; or a share of revenue].
- Credit. I'll be credited as [e.g. "Voice of Mara: [name] (AI voice, used with permission)"], [or: I prefer not to be credited by name].
- Keeping the recording safe. The producer will keep my recording only in [where, e.g. "the project's abcVoiceover account"] and won't share it, sell it, or use it to train any AI model.
- Withdrawing. I can withdraw this permission by telling the producer in writing. Within [e.g. 14 days] the producer will stop making new audio with my voice and delete the recording and the voice. Audio already published [may stay published / will be removed or re-voiced].
- Telling the audience. The producer will say that the voice is AI-generated wherever the work is published.
Signed: [speaker] · Date: [date]
Signed: [producer] · Date: [date]
Notes on the clauses
- Be specific about the project. "Any project" is easy to write and hard for anyone to agree to honestly. New uses can always get a new agreement.
- Languages. A clone can speak 23 languages. Hearing yourself fluent in a language you don't know can be a surprise, so ask.
- What happens on withdrawal is the clause people most often skip and most often argue about later. In abcVoiceover, saved lines keep their take even after their voice is deleted, so decide, and write down, whether finished audio stays.
- Professional performers may be covered by union agreements or an agent's terms on AI use. Ask them, and follow them.
- Children: a parent or guardian signs, and abcVoiceover accounts are for people 13 and over.
Keep it somewhere you'll find it
Store the signed copy with the project's files, and note in the project's comments which voices are covered by which agreement. If the person withdraws, you'll know exactly what to remove.
This isn't legal advice
The template is a plain-language starting point, not a contract written for your situation. The law on voices and likeness differs between countries and states, and it's changing. For commercial work, or anything high-stakes, have a lawyer where you work review it. For an overview, see is AI voice cloning legal?