Carl Sagan's estate sues AI startup Luma over unauthorized voice use in ad

Published Aug 25, 04:45 PM UTC

Druyan-Sagan Associates, the company managing Carl Sagan's intellectual property, filed a lawsuit against AI startup Luma AI on Tuesday in the Central District of California. The suit alleges copyright infringement, false endorsement, and unfair competition after Luma used an eight-second clip of Sagan's voice in an advertisement without permission. The clip features Sagan saying, 'If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.' The estate claims it notified Luma in early February, but the ad remained on Facebook, garnering over 2.7 million views. The estate seeks an injunction and damages, including Luma's profits and attorney fees. Luma, valued at $9 billion after recent funding rounds, has denied the claims. The case echoes Scarlett Johansson's 2024 legal threat against OpenAI over a similar voice imitation issue.