Druyan-Sagan Associates sues Luma AI for unauthorized use of Carl Sagan's voice and persona
Bot Mutiny |
A new federal lawsuit alleges Luma AI used a $900 million funding round to exploit the intellectual property of the late Dr. Carl Sagan without permission.
Druyan-Sagan Associates, Inc. filed a complaint against Luma AI, Inc. on August 25, 2026, in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. The lawsuit alleges that Luma AI used the voice, delivery, and persona of the late Dr. Carl Sagan in advertisements for its generative AI platform, Ray 3.14, without obtaining a license. The filing, first reported by CourtListener, seeks damages and injunctive relief for copyright infringement, false endorsement under the Lanham Act, and common law unfair competition. The plaintiff is owned and managed by Ann Druyan, Dr. Sagan's widow and the creative director of NASA's Voyager Interstellar Message Project. ## $900 Million in Funding and Unauthorized Use
Luma AI is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California. The complaint notes that Luma recently secured $900 million in funding from Humain, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund's AI vehicle. Despite a $4 billion valuation, the lawsuit claims Luma failed to secure the necessary legal rights to use Sagan's intellectual property. The complaint states that Luma sought to associate its brand with Dr. Sagan to mitigate public anxiety and fear surrounding the rise of AI platforms. By using his voice and persona, the company allegedly attempted to "dragoon" the scientist into acting as an unwitting spokesperson for its products. ## Allegations of Willful Infringement
The legal action centers on what the plaintiff calls the "Infringing Advertisement." According to the filing, Luma created and disseminated this content to promote the commercial launch of Ray 3.14. The plaintiff alleges that Luma declined to remedy the situation after being caught and instead elected to continue the infringement. Druyan-Sagan Associates holds the copyrights to the Cosmos series and other materials embodying Sagan's distinctive persona. The lawsuit argues that Dr. Sagan's reputation for humanistic technological development took a lifetime to build and cannot be usurped for "crass, self-serving commercial purposes."
Legal Claims and Jurisdiction
The plaintiff is represented by attorneys from CMG Law APC and One LLP. The complaint asserts that the court has jurisdiction because Luma is headquartered in California and conducts systematic business within the state. The three primary counts listed in the docket entry are:
- Copyright Infringement under 17 U.S.C. § 501. 2. False Endorsement and Trademark Infringement under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a). 3. Common Law Unfair Competition. Plaintiff Druyan-Sagan Associates has demanded a jury trial to address the unauthorized commercial exploitation of Dr. Sagan's identity. The case is filed under number 2:26-cv-09474.