Tokyo court dismisses Maezawa suit against Meta over ads using his likeness

The Tokyo District Court dismissed Yusaku Maezawa's lawsuit against Meta Platforms and its Japanese unit over fake investment advertisements that used his name and likeness without permission. Presiding Judge Naoyuki Iwai rejected both the injunction request and the damages claim.

The court found that the ads did infringe Maezawa's publicity rights. It nonetheless held that Meta was "merely a platform operator" and not directly involved in the posts, and said the company's corrective measures meant there was no risk the fake ads would go unaddressed, so an injunction was not warranted. Nippon.com reports that the decision is believed to be the first court ruling in Japan on whether fake celebrity-impersonation ads infringe publicity rights. The ruling was issued on Tuesday 10 November. The report does not state the damages amount sought, and does not say how the ads were produced or whether AI was involved.

Why it matters for digital humans: The substantive finding — that unauthorised use of a public figure's name and face in an ad infringes publicity rights — is the part that matters to anyone licensing likeness. The dismissal turns on intermediary liability, not on whether the likeness use was wrong. That split is the pattern to watch: courts in several jurisdictions are willing to say the use is unlawful while leaving platforms outside the remedy, which pushes enforcement back onto the individual and onto whatever takedown process the platform runs voluntarily. Compare the Delhi High Court's route of ordering platform takedowns directly.