this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2024
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Robert Downey Jr. plans to sue any Hollywood executive who signs off on the creation of his digital replica.

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[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 70 points 6 days ago (3 children)

“You’ll be dead,” Swisher noted, to which Downey replied: “But my law firm will still be very active.”

You can have a will and an estate, but if your estate fucks you over is there anything anyone can do about it?

[–] metaStatic@kbin.earth 39 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I dunno, lets ask Prince ...

[–] thefartographer@lemm.ee 16 points 6 days ago

Holy shit, that's some really harsh collateral damage

[–] thefartographer@lemm.ee 11 points 6 days ago

Get to haunting some motherfuckers

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] affiliate@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago (2 children)

what if spouse is also dead

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Someone with an interest in a payout will sue.

[–] affiliate@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

what if all those people are dead too

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

At that point, the likeness would likely have entered public domain anyway.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

What if the public is dead?

[–] Duamerthrax@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

Then we will be at piece

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] CluckN@lemmy.world 7 points 6 days ago (2 children)

What if the kids had a Disney+ subscription?

[–] Annoyed_Crabby@monyet.cc 6 points 6 days ago

Kill the kids.

Wait.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

Unfortunately, RDJ probably already agreed to an AI likeness in his own Disney+ subscription.

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 50 points 6 days ago (2 children)

People, your likeness can’t be used by others commercially without your consent, and this goes back way before AI or even computers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personality_rights#United_States

For example:

actor Crispin Glover filed a lawsuit against Universal Studios for both the unauthorized use of his likeness and the use of footage of him from Back to the Future in Back to the Future Part II; his permission had not been sought for the latter and he received no payment. After a motion to dismiss was denied, the case was settled for an undisclosed amount. The Screen Actors Guild changed its rules to prohibit its members from unauthorized mimicking of other SAG members.[51][52]

[–] Shiggles@sh.itjust.works 8 points 6 days ago (1 children)

How’d that work out for Johansson?

[–] Pips@lemmy.sdf.org 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Well we don't know, the case is ongoing. But it'll probably go in her favor. Judges currently tend to dislike AI.

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

the AI piece is kind of irrelevant. the only relevant parts as far as I understand are how much the "image" directly resembles her, and the laws in the specific state (I believe her state of residence, but could be wrong).

[–] dragonfucker@lemmy.nz 7 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Does this mean Elvis impersonators are breaking the law?

[–] Pips@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 6 days ago (1 children)

If they're not in SAG and/or it's not a SAG-covered field, then no.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

It's definitely a SAG-covered field, especially with later-era Elvises.

[–] Pips@lemmy.sdf.org 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Impersonators, assuming you're talking about the ones on the street, typically fall under parody and are therefore fair use. Some also do pay licensing fees for their portrayals. Just sort of depends on the situation.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago

I just meant that they're fat.

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Not just Elvis, there are a lot of celebrity impersonators out there. I'm guessing they are legal or traditionally tolerated for some reason. Maybe the fact that it's in-person vs in a film/tv show/ad/print makes it different.

[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 30 points 6 days ago (2 children)

The whole big tech ethos is to figure out the intersection of against-the-spirit-of-the-law and within-the-letter-of-the-law, and colonize the fuck out of that spot.

So they’ll probably just create a replica through means that allow them to claim they didn’t use his likeness directly, and call it “Rodert Upney Sr.”

[–] sxan@midwest.social 16 points 6 days ago

God, this is so painfully true. Microsoft really set the precedent for the industry, often straying over the line into illegality; if Bush hadn't given directions that resulted in the ruling being overturned, they'd be several smaller companies now, and without their near-monopoly.

Fucking Bush.

[–] ivanafterall@lemmy.world 12 points 6 days ago (1 children)

THIS SUMMER, Bobert Sideney III IS...Metal Fella

It's Bruce Lee/Bruce Li/Bruce Le/Bruce Lai/Dragon Lee all over again.

[–] kibiz0r@midwest.social 6 points 6 days ago

He was great in Smooch Smooch Boom Boom.

[–] BroBot9000@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

lol, like that’s going to stop them.

You signed their contracts and they will find a way to own and replicate your likeness.

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 25 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

surely the contracts he signed are for a limited number of appearances, not to use his likeness in perpetuity. this is nothing new in hollywood, contracts have been drawn up considering likenesses for a very long time, AI is not really anything new in that regard.

[–] esc27@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (1 children)

So what keeps someone from running a Robert Downey Jr. lookalike contest, then giving the winner a cash prize in exchange for their likeness?

[–] kyle@lemm.ee 1 points 6 days ago

That's sorta the definition of a person's likeness to run a lookalike contest

[–] Badeendje@lemmy.world 2 points 6 days ago

He should do it himself and then it's protected by copyright after he's dead.

[–] Souyo@lemmy.world -1 points 6 days ago

Oh snap RDJ with the ban hammer! I think Hollywood might be worried now /s