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The screenwriter of the original film “Roadhouse” sued Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and parent company Amazon on Tuesday, alleging the tech giant infringed on copyright by using AI to simulate actors’ voices in 2024. , accused him of violating his agreement with the Screen Actors Guild. A reboot version of “Roadhouse.”
important facts
The lawsuit, filed in California by R. Lance Hill, says Amazon refuses to acknowledge the date by which the copyright to “Road House” should be returned to him and instead moves forward with a remake of the film. He claims that he chose to do so. Based on Hill’s screenplay.
According to the lawsuit, Hill requested in 2021 that the copyright to the screenplay be returned to him on November 11, 2023, nearly 40 years after he transferred the copyright to his production company, United Artists.
Amazon made the “Roadhouse” remake the day before the copyright was handed back to Hill, relying on the use of artificial intelligence to duplicate actors’ voices and speed up production during last year’s SAG-AFTRA strike. It is said that he tried to complete it.
Hill further alleged that Amazon knowingly used AI during the strike in violation of SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America collective bargaining agreement signed by Amazon.
The remake of “Road House,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal, was completed in January, years after Hill’s copyright should have been returned, according to the suit.
Representatives for Amazon and Hill did not immediately respond to Forbes’ requests for comment.
tangent
AI has become the most important issue in the entertainment industry. After the Actors’ Union strike ended in November, some union members argued that provisions regarding the use of AI and appropriate compensation for actors whose digital replicas were used were not sufficient, and the union was forced to engage in negotiations with major studios. They objected to the agreement they had made. In a series of tweets last year, actress Justine Bateman, an AI advisor on the SAG-AFTRA negotiating committee, said: loophole This contract could result in the actor seeing himself in projects he never agreed to or for which he was not paid.
Main background
The original Road House, released in 1989, starred Patrick Swayze and was written by Hill, who was also credited as the screenwriter for The Evil That Men Do, starring Charles Bronson. The 2024 remake of Roadhouse, which will be released on Amazon’s Prime Video platform on March 8, has been accused of misusing Hill’s original screenplay. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hill’s attorney Mark Toberoff is representing Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, Iron Man co-creator Larry Lieber and their families in a lawsuit against Marvel Studios and Disney. He has been in charge of high-profile intellectual property litigation against other parties. Words from Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel.
References
Why some actors oppose the SAG-AFTRA artificial intelligence agreement (Forbes)
Impressive actor says Hollywood studios want to use AI-generated replicas of actors forever for one day’s pay (Forbes)
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