German voice actors have launched a grassroots boycott against Netflix NFLX.O over a contract clause that allows the streaming platform to use their recordings for AI training, a spokesperson for the VDS voice actors' association told Reuters.
Netflix's global footprint has increased demand for dubbed content, with international hits such as South Korea's "Squid Game" and Spain's "Money Heist" attracting audiences far beyond their home markets.
But voice actors, like many in the entertainment industry, are increasingly wary of artificial intelligence upending their livelihood and raising fresh copyright concerns.
Subtitles: an alternative
Netflix has sent a letter to German voice actors saying their concerns stem from a misunderstanding of how the U.S. company intends to use the recordings and invited the VDS to an informal discussion, the association's chairperson, Anna-Sophia Lumpe, said on Tuesday.
"They also end the letter with the promise that if people continue to boycott working for them, that content will be shown with German subtitles in Germany," instead of dubbing, she said.
She did not have exact figures on the size of the boycott but said "our efforts and the efforts of the voice actors are generating a response".
A Netflix spokesperson confirmed that the letter exists and said the company is taking the concerns seriously.
According to the VDS, which represents around 600 members, Netflix's new contracts, introduced at the start of the year, state that recordings may be used to train AI systems, without specifying whether compensation would be provided.
The clause sparked a sharp backlash, with a large majority of voice actors refusing to agree to the terms, Lumpe said.
The association has commissioned a law firm to examine the contract in relation to data privacy, copyright law and the EU AI Act.
The contracts are based on an agreement Netflix reached with the BFFS actors' union in June which requires explicit written consent for the use of any AI-generated digital voice replica.
However, the BFFS said it intentionally left out rules on remuneration for AI-related uses for now.
"This is because there are currently no reference points for appropriate basic remuneration," the union said on its website, adding it wanted "to avoid any unfavourable predetermination at all costs".
